The web as an adaptive network

Abstract

Much is known about the complex network structure of the Web, and about behavioral dynamics on the Web. A number of studies address how behaviors on the Web are affected by different network topologies, whilst others address how the behavior of users on the Web alters network topology. These represent complementary directions of influence, but they are generally not combined within any one study. In network science, the study of the coupled interaction between topology and behavior, or statetopology coevolution, is known as 'adaptive networks', and is a rapidly developing area of research. In this paper, we review the case for considering the Web as an adaptive network and several examples of state-topology coevolution on the Web. We also review some abstract results from recent literature in adaptive networks and discuss their implications for Web Science. We conclude that adaptive networks provide a formal framework for characterizing processes acting 'on' and 'of' the Web, and offers potential for identifying general organizing principles that seem otherwise illusive in Web Science.

The collective intelligence of evolution and development

“…In some conditions, it does not require an active learning mechanism that strengthens connections, instead it is sufficient to differentially relax or weaken connections according to the frustration or stress experienced in that connection (Buckley et al, in prep). Thus, connectionist modes of cognitive learning can be instantiated in various kinds of non-neural networks (Davies et al, 2011; McCabe et al, 2011; Power et al, 2015; Watson et al, 2011b).…”

Avoiding the Opportunist: The Role of Simmelian Ties in Fostering the Trust in Sensor-Cloud Networks

“…Adaptive network is a novel combination of two concepts which are dynamics on networks and dynamics of networks [24–26]. The dynamics on networks is defined as the status change on the network service running over the network such as network performance metrics of Quality of Service (QoS), but the dynamics of networks is defined as the change of the underlying network topological connectivity.…”

“…There is actually an interplay between them which is termed the coevolution of networks. The study in [24] has explored how the Internet web state or behavior change can affect the underlying topologies, as well as how the underlying network connectivity change can impact the overlay Internet service state change. For example, if the users change their behaviors to conduct more online shopping this could cause more online shops (i.e., web servers) being established to be linked to the Internet and more network connectivity should be built.…”