Sigala is underpinned by research across many disciplines with the aim of ensuring that any technical development is well-founded with respect to human needs. We list below the kind of research with which we are engaging.
- Relationships – in which we seek to understand elementary human processes and then proceed to anchor our designs on nurturing more meaningful friendship. We study individual actions and their collective significance; how relationships have observable and subjective aspects, the ethical imperative behind actions and especially what we mean by friendship. Thus we address the question of are we building the right system rather than building the system right. Read more …
- Determining a Suitable Model for Relationships – we start by introducing some of the key elements that will provide our SNS with firm foundations, leading later to our basic universal framework. We treat underlying characteristics of relationships such as intentionality and identity, suggest definitions based on action and personal conduct. Then we reflect on a basic yet neglected question: What do we mean by ‘friendship’? From this we may more readily build an appropriate taxonomy and refine it, leading on to a multi-dimensional model.
- The Economics of Sigala SNS – In order to lend credibility to our design we need to subject it to rigorous analysis to show its economic viability. We adopt an approach that encompasses micro as well as macro, drawing inspiration especially from the work of Avner Offer – the Economy of Regard, and extending it through Buddhist insights, especially concerning the notion of punnya (roughly translated as ‘merit’). Read more …
- … and the Business Case – How to ensure that this service is practically viable in the long-term? In order for this service to be a public good it needs to be clear about its responsibilities, and given recent history, one of these responsibilities is to avoid boom and bust. We argue that from the outset this project should be not-for-profit (in the manner of services like Wikipedia) and indicate how the design engenders long-term network prosperity and is thereby a conduct for greater trust and richer transactions.