The ongoing exploratory qualitative study ‘Witnessed Presence and Systems Engineering’ focuses on particular social interaction between human beings and technology in current practices anno 2008/2009. The first 20 interviews in 2008/2009 were carried out with ICT and Design professionals in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and India, and 4 artists in the Netherlands provide the basis for the insights reported in this paper. The complete data set can be found at http://www.systemsdesign.tbm.tudelft/witness for further reference. References to excerpts of these interviews are used in the text below to illustrate the importance of time in new social structures.
3. Time is Beholder of Trust
The emergence of virtual realities has changed the concepts of space, of speed, of connection, of impact, considerably. Place is no longer the determining factor for trust, time has become the beholder of trust [8]. Reality is namely constructed through time. Interaction/transactions are the basis for existence in time and space [9]. Trust can more specifically be related to a track record of sharing information, of committing and delivering, of clarity - making intentions explicit, and of reputation over time through people ([10]. Digital witnessing clearly contributes to the establishment of reputation and authenticity. Trust emerges online in the social web of institutions and people [9].
This section first reports on the results of a qualitative exploratory study in which YUPTA was used to analyze new social structures in collaboration between human beings in merging new realities. This study clearly shows that integrity, capability, intentionality and reputation are time sensitive. Duration, synchronization, and rhythm influence these values. The following paragraphs address these aspects.
These results are then discussed in the context of communities of multi-agent systems and human beings.
