Synthetic Excellence: Standards, Play, and Unintended Outcomes

Authors

  • D. Linda Garcia Georgetown University
  • Garrison LeMasters Georgetown University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v2i3.665

Keywords:

standards, evolution, play, interoperability, diversity

Abstract

Today, more and more efforts are devoted to promoting an open network environment (Libicki 2000). This growing enthusiasm for interoperability is understandable, given the economics of networks. (Shapiro and Varian, 1998; Varian, Shapiro, and Farrell, 2005). To make the most of interconnection today, businesses must enhance their services by adding a variety of functions (Blumenthal and Clark 2000). For these purposes, they are seeking higher-level standards in support of middleware and software applications. While supporting the overall goal of interoperability, this paper sounds a cautionary note. It argues that the value of standards is contextual. Thus, while interoperability may be highly beneficial in a purely economic context, and with respect to the lower levels of the network, it might engender unintended consequences at higher levels where the network is intertwined with political and cultural realms. This paper contends that, as standards efforts become increasingly focused on the upper layers of the Internet, a broader set of evaluative criteria will be required to determine their true costs and benefits. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, this paper takes a first step in exploring these issues. Focusing on the highest

Author Biographies

D. Linda Garcia, Georgetown University

D. Linda Garcia is Director of the Communication, Culture and Technology Program at Georgetown University. Prior to assuming the Directorship of the 150+ student graduate program in 1996, she was Project Director and Senior Associate at the U.S. Congress

Garrison LeMasters, Georgetown University

Garrison LeMasters teaches for the Program in Communication, Culture and Technology and the Program in American Studies at Georgetown University.

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Published

2009-09-15

Issue

Section

Peer Reviewed Research Papers