Network--Joost Van Loon

Van Loon describes three basic elements of the network. Nodes, Links and Mesh are these such three.  Nodes are there to identify the links and their concentration.  Links are there to define the network and identifies what is bound and not bound to the network and lastly the Mesh, which is the structure and shape/pattern of the network.  

Tropes, which are comprised of the network-nodes, links and mesh's- do not have a direction, this would be the first characteristic. Secondly, are boundaries of inclusion and exclusion.  The third element of Tropes are the 'relativity of a center'  (Van Loon 2006:308). By placing importance on nodal points, the network provides structure and as Castell (1996) writes 'ensures the perpetuation of global economic, political and social inequality '(Van Loon 2006: 309).

The example that Van Loon provides us is that of a fishing net, which depending on the size of the holes in it, it would give us an indication as to what size fish can be caught and which to pass through.  This would be the example in reference to a network.  The fishing net would give us an understanding how many links (which are the knots in the fishing net), the location of the links and what amount of space (boundaries) between these nodes and links. 

This concept is both simple and complex at the same time. If one understands this idea of the network then one understands the idea of the internet and its world.