Eyal Sivan

What is the Connective?
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Summary

Integration Architect Eyal Sivan explores how information technology fundamentally changes the way we see the world and the way we see ourselves. He proposes that global culture is shifting from rigid hierarchical structures - collectives - to more dynamic and flexible structures - connectives.

Abstract

The proliferation of information technology is driving a universal shift in how we organize ourselves, and the world around us. This shift has already clearly been observed within such diverse contexts as economics, sociology, philosophy, politics and science. The Connective is an attempt to describe this shift in an inter-disciplinary manner.

The Connective Hypothesis states that the dominant organizing pattern of global culture is shifting from a top-down hierarchy to a distributed, self-organizing network.

Structures that embody the existing dominant pattern are often referred to as organizational hierarchies. Irrespective of politics, virtually all of our principal institutions are bureaucratic products of the industrial age. They have their parameters defined by committee and demand adherence to a set of absolutes. In this general sense, these prevalent structures can be referred to as collectives.

Eyal refers to structures that embody the new emerging pattern, the network, as connectives. A connective refers to a distributed network made up of voluntary participants, organized around a specific interest or context, with each member seeking to achieve an individual goal. This new structure is neither individualistic nor socialist. It is something that is an intricate mixture of the two; a third way. Rather than trying to capture and freeze absolutes, connectives bend and flex, and acknowledge that the world around them bends and flexes as well.

As our organizational perspective shifts from collectives to connectives, every role we play in our lives is being drastically altered, even how we see ourselves. To that end, the Connective Hypothesis is divided across five broad roles: consumer, producer, citizen, innovator and self. Using these five roles as a structural guide, the goal of the presentation is to explore this coming shift to connectives, and the impact it will have on society and identity.

Biography

Currently holding an Integration Architect position at a leading Canadian bank, Eyal has over 14 years experience in business analysis, systems integration and distributed application architecture. Prior to joining the bank full-time, Eyal ran Eldan Software Limited, an innovative Web application development & consulting firm which he founded in 1994.

During his tenure operating the company, Eyal spoke at several conferences and trade shows about how the Internet was forever changing the way the world was organized, not only in business but in all aspects of life. In February of 1999, he delivered a presentation in Tel Aviv where he first introduced the idea of the Connective. The Subtle Technologies Festival 2009 will mark the first time he has publicly presented the concept in over a decade.