Being, space and time in the Web

TL;DR

This paper develops a philosophical and theoretical framework for understanding the Web as a being with its own space and time, analyzing how it transforms traditional notions of existence and spatiotemporality.

Contribution

It bridges philosophical thinking and engineering by providing a theory of the Web's being, space, and time, incorporating concepts like Bergsonian time and Web connectivity.

Findings

Web space is defined by links and visitor durations.

Bergsonian time models Web existence and activity.

Web transforms traditional notions of physical space and temporality.

Abstract

The Web initially emerged as an "antidote" to accumulated scientific knowledge since it enables global representation and communication with minimum costs. Its gigantic scale and interdependence incommode our ability to find relevant information and develop trustworthy contexts. It is time for science to compensate by providing an epistemological "antidote" to Web issues. Philosophy should be in the front line by forming the salient questions and analysis. The scope of our research is to provide a theory about the Web being that will bridge philosophical thinking and engineering. We analyze existence and spatiotemporality in the Web and how it transforms the traditional actualities. The Web space is specified by incoming and outgoing links. The primordial role of visiting durations in Web's existence is approximated by Bergsonian time. The physical space becomes more discoverable. The human activity can be asynchronous, synchronous and continuous. Networked individuals operate in a flexible and spatially dispersed environment. The resulting issues concern the self-determination of a being and the way in which the Web could be a free and open platform for innovation and participation.