r/place: Artwork Meets Complex Adaptive Systems

As I was reading through Systems Thinking Made Simple by Derek and Laura Cabrera, I was reminded of a recent cultural phenomenon originating from the online Reddit community on r/place. In their book, Cabrera discusses the simplicity that drives complexity within systems which is quiet similar to what I saw that within r/place. They say that, “Many people hold the false assumption that underneath complex things are complicated explanations. The mental model they need is that underneath complex things are simple rules” (Cabrera, 36). Below is the final result of the experiment done in r/place. Like each individual fish in a school following simple rules to result in a complex adaptive system, r/place was created following simple rules.

r/place Final Product

http://i.imgur.com/ajWiAYi.png

Rules:

1. Each individual may place only one pixel every 5 minutes.

On the r/place website, it says, “Individually you can create something. Together you can create something more.” Looking around the final product, which will lead you to find everything from cartoons and university mascots to country flags and pop culture references, gives a glimpse at the identity and values of the people who collectively created it. Consequences of each autonomous agent following their simple rule resulted in a very apparently unique work of art, but also some interesting behavior.

Time lapse

 

https://i.redd.it/5p68ukzkwdpy.gif

Looking at a time lapse, which is shown above, you can see interesting trends emerging from the collective dynamics if you've watched it over and over like myself. Borders and banners move through the voids as swatches of black and blue fill the screen. Sometimes showing respect for small icons that have since evolved by other users and sometimes plowing through. Part of the freedom involved allows for users to place pixels anywhere they wish even if it tarnishes the work of other users. Over the course of time, however, a sense of intelligence or respect evolves amongst the community to protect individual creations showing an element of adaptive behavior amongst the collective. Lastly, I urge you to look at yet another time lapse.

 

3D Time Lapse

https://gfycat.com/EthicalJealousGraysquirrel

This one I find most interesting because it shows examples of Cabrera’s four simple aspects of systems thinking; distinction, system, relationship, and perspective. Adding the 3D element gives you a different perspective on how the same work of art was created. Trolls could go in and add black pixels anywhere they want, but what is evidenced by the gif is a cooperative effort by many people to create their distinct mark that is part of the whole. As some parts grow you can watch others shrink, and as some are left attended they get removed from existence. r/place truly is a great example of a complex adaptive system.

Question: What individual rules should one follow to lead towards the best civilization possible?

Comments

[Mallika]

That’s a really cool example of how agents obeying simple rules can create a complex system. I think the human element really adds some additional complexity above and beyond what a computer might do, though. As people recognize emerging symbols, they can choose to continue to propagate or destroy them. Imagine the level of learning that would be required to have a computer behave similarly. It would need to know all of the various symbols and then recognize them before they've fully emerge. It could then have a certain number of propagating or destroying agents, if you really wanted to mimic the elements of the reddit system

This is a somewhat different tangent, but I also find it really interesting that by and large the final image contains mostly symbols instead of chaos. This suggests to me that people chose to work together and respect the creations of others, rather than simply trying to destroy or outcompete each other. It reminds me of the work of Nobel prize winning economist Elinor Ostrom, whose research demonstrated that people are capable of creating rules and institutions for equitable management of common pool resources. Of course, it also seems to demonstrate the capacity of systems for self-organization, per our Meadows reading early in the semester.

[Gabby Makatura]

I already did my one full comment on another blog post, but thank you for sharing this! Probably the coolest thing I have seen all week

[Harsha Maragh]

I really enjoyed reading your post this week Cody! It’s such an interesting way to think about systems and the simple underlying rules that govern them. Using this graphic was a great way to demonstrate how complex a system can become over time with simple (seemingly non-invasive) additions.
I think that in order for us to create a better civilization, we must focus on our individual actions and ourselves first. It is difficult to take on the whole system, in this case civilization as a whole, and try to change it. I’m not sure if this is the answer you were looking for, but I believe that by doing good and respecting yourself, others, and your surroundings you can create a better world. The results may not be immediately apparent, but over time I believe that a better civilization will emerge.

[Alec Brazeau]

Hi, Cody! /r/place is a great example of a system, and I hope to discuss it more in our blog group today. I think that /r/place is a really good way to see how small, individual rules placed upon the actors within a system affect the system's output. This makes me wonder about small rules as leverage points: how can we change small rules placed upon actors in order to change the systems output? How can this concept be applied to massive eco-social-economic-etc. systems?