The Internet and Common-based resources
Because of the proliferation of online social networks, there is now a completely novel approach to the production of information products. The Linux operating system is a prime example of how thousands of programmers may work together to create a single piece of software. Peer-production that is based on the concept of commons is “radically decentralized, collaborative, and nonproprietary, based on sharing resources and outputs among widely dispersed, loosely linked people who interact with each other without depending on either marked signals or management directives” (ref). The transmission of existing codified information is facilitated through commons-based media resources, which are made available via open collaboration to promote learning at scale. Production and innovation are also made more accessible, expanding people’s opportunities to acquire information and develop their skills.
The term “commons-based resource” refers to a kind of social and economic production in which many people work together, often via the use of the Internet. Compared to initiatives run using more conventional commercial models, those based on the commons tend to have flatter organizational structures. One of the most distinguishing features of peer production based on commons is that it is not intended to generate revenue for any one entity. However, this is not always the case, commons-based initiatives are often created to not need any kind of monetary reward for participants. Examples of this include the widespread availability of STL (file format) design files for products online, which allow anybody with access to a 3-D printer to digitally recreate the object, so saving the prosumer a substantial amount of money. For example, MyMiniFactory is a platform for guaranteed printable free STL files.
A common consists of a resource, the individuals who share it (users, managers, producers, and suppliers), the value generated via the production or preservation of that resource, and the laws governing the usage of that resource. Obviously, material resource is the primary element of a commons-based resource. It has to do with the material means at disposal. Physical resources include things like water, soil, and air, whereas intangible resources include things like human genes, computer programs, algorithms, and cultural practices. They are all shared resources. Each of us is by right entitled to make use of them.
Subsequently, we have the element of social interaction. Users are those who put these tools to good use. As a concept, “the commons” cannot exist apart from individuals actively working together to oversee the care of a shared resource in each social setting. Humans may utilize acquired knowledge to either diagnose a condition or search for a treatment for it. Creativity may be fueled through the application of cultural practices. The people who utilize a resource in a communal way turn it into a common.
Regulation is the third component. This includes all of the policies and procedures that are in place to keep the commons in good shape. The ranges of these items are rather broad. Management of physical resources like water and forests is quite different from policing the use of bytes and information. The one thing that they all have in common is that the user community makes the choice on how its resources are to be handled. Only if individuals come to a consensus on how to handle a resource can this plan be implemented successfully.