From hierarchy to open configurations: decentralization and user-generated content

Abstract

This article calls for research on new technologies at a level of analysis where what seems unchanged is salient and yet the newness of the new technology is given due consideration. It demonstrates the value of this approach by analyzing the decentralization of information systems wherein user-generated content eventually provided the unexpected winning solution for service providers who had long struggled in making their content attractive to the public at large. It identifies three stages in the decentralization process: hierarchy (top-down), open-hierarchy (top-down network, bottom-up content creation), and un-order (bottom-up). The analysis indicates that the Achilles’ heel of hierarchical systems is content creation and that creates pressure to move towards more open configurations that allow for user-generated content. The authors suggest that the framework presented in this article will prompt a more sophisticated analysis of the next new technology even if it does not have a similar development pattern.