Key Messages
A Deeper Look Into The Impact And Effects Of Networks: What Happens When We Apply Organic Network Principles To Technical Networks?
Breakpoint explores the potential of what could happen if we applied our understanding of organic networks to technical networks, like the Internet.
In this book, the author dives deep into what could happen when the Internet’s growth slows or even continues to decline.
The author predicts that it is possible that, just like our brains, the Internet could shrink but get smarter – resulting in the Internet becoming capable of intelligence and consciousness.
This part of Breakpoint explains how Google is akin to a brain and why a relatively stupid ant can build a complex nest.
The ultimate goal is to illustrate how intelligent design can arise from chaos and show us how it’s possible for a “network” as large as the Internet to become more intelligent as it gets smaller – which leads us back to one question: Is it possible for the Internet to become like an actual brain? By reading Breakpoint, you will thoroughly learn about this possibility and come away with an expansive knowledge about organic networks, technical networks and their connections.
The Collective Intelligence Of A Network Is Far Greater Than The Intelligence Of An Individual: An Argument Against Isolation
Networks can make the lives of living creatures infinitely easier and more efficient.
Communities, or “networks”, characterized by division of labor and support systems for one another have been incredibly successful in many species’ lives.
99.9 percent of all species that have died off were solitary, whereas social species are much more populous and found in various habitats across land.
For example, the collective intelligence of a network is far greater than that of an individual’s intelligence- which is why mixing together different skills and abilities works better than going alone.
This can be likened to the taste of cake ingredients; on their own they don’t taste great at all, but when mixed together correctly they create something delicious!
And although ants are not among the most intelligent Earthlings, they still manage to build complex nests, rudimentary agriculture systems and healthcare facilities when in a network- all things which cannot achieve without collaboration.
Finally, it is safe to say that networks certainly make life easier and more efficient- so maybe it isn’t worth leaving your life behind afterall!
The Breakpoint: How Networks Reach Equilibrium Through Growth And Pruning
Every type of network progresses through three distinct stages: growth, the breakpoint, and equilibrium.
First, during a period of growth the network is expanding and consuming its available resources as it attempts to become as large as possible.
Then comes a sudden stop when that maximum point has been reached – this is the breakpoint.
Beyond this point any further expansion will only create problems for the network, so to identify it somebody must exceed it through trial and error.
Finally, after undergoing a process of pruning where resources are culled from places no longer needed, the network reaches its ideal size – equilibrium.
This size can vary depending on factors like environment; for example an ant colony needs fewer neurons than a cat does to reach equilibrium.
Beyond A Certain Point, Quality Is Crucial For Networks To Succeed
Size isn’t everything when it comes to networks.
Dinosaurs were huge, but were unable to survive extinction, while much smaller species like insects, spiders and rodents managed it – what mattered was their intelligence.
Networks need to reach equilibrium at an optimal size to remain useful – if the network is too big or too small, growth can be counterproductive.
Once a network reaches equilibrium, additional growth beyond that point becomes unnecessary and unhelpful.
Our brains consume 20 percent of our energy, but if they grew any larger than this then there wouldn’t be enough resources for vital organs like the heart and lungs and we would die.
At this stage what matters is quality rather than quantity: when we reach five years old our brains have 1,000 trillion neural connections too many; as we age our brains get rid of these so that only 100 trillion are left as adults – by strengthening the connections we use most often the brain becomes more efficient.
When you think about it this way, quality clearly trumps size in terms of optimal efficiency in networks – from a brain or ant colony to any other type of system out there.
The message here is clear: after reaching an equilibrium point where growth is not needed anymore, quality should take precedence for success!
The Secrets Of A Successful Network: Self-Organization, Decentralized Leadership, And Effective Communication
Communication and self-organization are essential elements of any successful network.
Whether we’re talking about an ant colony or the internet, in a decentralized system, efficient communication is key for enabling the network participants to accomplishing anything effectively.
Take Wikipedia for example.
Through user-generated content and peer-to-peer networks, its articles have grown so large that it currently contains more information than all printed encyclopedias combined!
This is all possible thanks to an effective medium of communication.
Similarly, creatures like ants rely on pheromones to interact with each other and figure out their plans of action.
It’s not just us humans that need language though; according to Sigmund Freud, it was the emergence of insults as a tool of communication instead of physical violence that ushered in civilization!
The Internet Is Growing Unsustainably And Needs To Reset Its Course
The internet works much the same way as a biological network in terms of rapid growth and development.
Just look at how it’s expanded – from no websites in 1993, to 20 million in 2002, and finally to an astounding 600 million websites today.
It’s incredible!
In fact, if you were to apply that same rate of growth to a newborn baby, they would be able to reach the moon by 10 years old.
However, the internet has already hit its breakpoint due to the large amount of content available.
This has made it much harder for users to find what they need quickly and easily via their PC.
In fact, people are now spending less time on the net – just 70 minutes per day on average.
And with apps becoming increasingly popular over web browsing, people don’t even have to open the browser anymore to get what they need online.
The consumption of energy is also a huge problem for the web – estimates show that it could account for up to 20% of total global power usage by 2030.
Ultimately, this means something needs to change: The internet needs to slow down so that it can reach equilibrium and continue providing meaningful services at a sustainable rate.
The Network Of The Web Can Help Us Connect To Our Brain’S Intelligence And Access The Knowledge Of The Internet
The development of the internet is bringing it ever closer to our brain.
Take Google for example; when you enter a search term, it chooses the result based on the importance of a website and this is similar to how our brain searches for information.
Our most important neurons are linked to the most other neurons and by connecting a computer directly to the brain of a person, scientists have already made that connection between our brains and computers even stronger.
In the future, due to continued advances in technology, computers may be able to predict what we want before we need to ask them.
To do this, we would need to give computers real intelligence so they can access the knowledge found on the internet.
This could make it easier for us to use computers and understand information faster.
While we haven’t quite reached that level yet, scientists have already come up with something similar called Spaun, which has neural networks very similar to ours.
It’s exciting yet scary as well – when technology gets this advanced it becomes hard to determine where human intelligence ends and artificial intelligence begins.
Nonetheless, continuing advancements in internet technology are bringing it closer than ever before to how our brains work and think!
Wrap Up
You’ll want to remember the key message of Breakpoint: networks are powerful and can reach a peak if they successfully go through the stages of growth, breakpoint, and equilibrium.
This is exactly what’s happening right now with the internet — it’s rapidly approaching its breakpoint, and when it passes through that stage, it will become an incredible network capable of doing remarkable things.
To make sure you remember this concept, here is one actionable piece of advice: don’t underestimate something seemingly insignificant – like an ant colony.
When you stop to consider their complexity and intelligence, you’ll begin to see them in a whole new light.
In conclusion, Breakpoint is about the power of networks and the critical importance of understanding what happens when they reach their full potential.
Keep this idea in mind as you witness the incredible evolution of the internet over time; it’s leading up to something that could change our lives forever!
