This post is a compiled snippet from a Twitter thread that I've transported over here for posterity. The original thread started here: https://twitter.com/b_cavello/status/1199232419359936512

Been thinking about externalities and relationships of impact/connectedness. Wondering if there exists or could exist language to better codify/understand these relationships.

For instance: is there language for the distance between a consenting and affected party?

This is relevant in my work as it pertains to data systems and how our linked lives have implications for each other.

How can we describe the potential impact for a friend whom I talk about it while in a space where a family member has installed a home microphone like an Alexa?

How can we describe the connection between one of my relative’s children to my individual choice to have my DNA sequenced?

Where does the language of simple network analysis fall short in understanding consequences of consent?

Is there a simple gradient along edges of a network? That seems overly simplistic. How can we be more intersectional in analyzing impact beyond geographic or networked proximity? Might we apply topographic gravity wells in our analysis of a network map?

Are there existing names for these relationships? How do those taxonomies apply over distance and time? How do they apply over objective discrepancies versus subjective or cultural differences?

Might we at some point in the future be able to calculate or arbitrate a more context-rich analysis of impact for actions?
Might there be a gradient descent approach to determining pricing in contracts based on the impacts to those effected?

See also: Networked privacy needs names