Originally published at: The Protocol System Experience - Summer of Protocols
A protocol system emerges when a group of people acts in relation to a protocol (a set of rules, laws, norms, standards, traditions, etc). This broad category includes nations, religions, professions, families, blockchains, and most other group activity, making protocol systems foundational, all-encompassing features of human life. Focusing solely on the system level, however, means…
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Reading this, I felt like I understood how a cell would feel if it tried to understand how organs work.
This is a really fantastic essay—thank you Angela! With Johannes Benke I’ve been working on some thinking that connects protocols deeply with theories of performativity. I hope to share that soon. But your approach to “protocol actions” is extremely helpful in exploring those dynamics.