The self-organization of human knowledge on the WWW

The self-organization of human knowledge on the WWW

Francis Heylighen Center Leo Apostel, Free University of Brussels
Principia Cybernetica


This presentation will discuss how certain techniques from the domain of adaptive hypertext and user modeling might lead to the development of a self-organizing WWW that independently structures itself into an external representation and extension of human knowledge. We have developed and tested a connectionist hypertext system that closes the feedback loop between hypertext structure and navigation by selectively strengthening specific hyperlinks based on implicit measures of user navigation preferences. The system has been demonstrated to self-organize its structure into a valid representation of its users' common model of the world and can with small modifications be applied to the WWW. The WWW could as such develop into an well-organized, globally distribued representation of the whole of human knowledge.