We all who work in arts and culture usually narrow the term NETWORKS meaning only CULTURAL NETWORKS - the free and open gatherings of cultural professionals, with a horizontal structure and democratic rules, helping us to exchange information, share experience, initiate projects, seek new opportunities. But in a broader sense networks are related to connectivity in all dimensions, and they can be technical, electronic, human, social, etc. Back to the history, networks were related to systems of roads, canals and railway stations, telegraphs, chains of radio stations hooked up by wire... Nowadays we are used to this term mainly in relation to Internet and the digital technologies which help us to get together virtually, even if we live in very different geographic locations. No doubt that the networks are about making connections and increasing connections – and this is one of the fundamental conditions of living for us as humans, even if we peer more and more to the virtual world and try to explore its endless capacity.
Might be interesting to read the latest edition of Forbes magazine - 28 essays from leading experts to help us explore the NETWORKS from diverse perspectives:
http://www.forbes.com