Networks of Innovation
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Ilkka Tuomi authored a book entitled Networks of Innovation: Change and Meaning in the age of the Internet. - New York: Oxford university Press, 2002. - ISBN 0-19-925698-5
In the "Introduction" to the book, dated 20 February 2002, Tuomi begins by pointing out well-known facts as to the historical success of the open source computer software development model. He cites examples, including the development of ARPANET. After briefly describing the unconventional nature of the development of the Linux computer operating system, he then suggests it is useful to examine the "social and cognitive phenomena" that underlie the myriad of recent internet-related innovations. "By studying such innovations," he writes, "we can open some black boxes of innovation theory, including such widely used concepts as learning, capability, utility, and consumption." Furthermore, Tuomi says one can learn much about innovation in general by studying the internet-related innovations. Indeed, by doing so, one may learn that many conventionally-accepted ideas about innovation are inconsistent with reality. He writes: "...my key message is that traditional models of innovation are often misleading, and that they are becoming increasingly misleading in the future."
Tuomi also looks at examples from the History of Technology, where the creativity of the users or communities of users have played a great role in the continuing evolution of great innovations. He notes that the evolution of new technologies such as the telephone or the Web took their original creators by surprise.
[edit] Chapters
In approximately one paragraph each, Tuomi summarizes in the "Introduction" chapters of the book. Below is a brief recapitulation of those summaries.
- The first chapter argues that innovation is social by nature.
- The second chapter applies the first chapter to a case study of the world wide web.
- The third chapter describes the conception and early history of the computer network.
- The fourth chapter puts the history described in the third chapter in "the context of technology and innovation studies." It also describes innovation as a function of a change in social practice.
- The fifth chapter introduces "alternative views" on innovation. Tuomi mentions the work of Ludwik Fleck.
- The sixth chapter posits that there are two ways by which new communities and "technological practices" emerge: increasing specialization, and the combination of exisitng resources.
- The seventh chapter continues discussing the history of the internet.
- The eighth chapter explores the issue of giving credit to technology developers. Challenges can include the fact that the identities of the developers, according to Tuomi, are often unclear.
- The ninth chapter analyzes in greater detail the evolution of the structure of the Linux source code. It also discusses trade-offs that occur in distributed innovation and technology development.
- The tenth chapter argues that studying the socio-cognitive aspect of innovation leads to a new way of looking at economic theory. It also contrasts the open source development model to the "Silicon Valley innovation system".
