Journal smittyoneeach's Journal: The non-scalability of people 3
\section{Proposed Research Methodology}
Connecting communications geography to election results occurs within a
methodological context. Ballots are cast by individual voters, but the radio station format is a spatial footprint.
Thus, a framework seems helpful both to guide the choices made in conducting the research and to make explicit the biases creeping into those choices.
In going from the individual to the population, this proposal considers a
continuum that moves from the singular voter to the plural precinct as follows:
\begin{center}
\[Maslow (singular) => Dunbar (plural) => Precinct (plural) \]
\end{center}
While the Central Limit Theorem does not gain traction until the middle of that
continuum, it is still useful to consider the foundation within the theoretical
structure.
\subsection{Maslow-3D}
The starting point for this model is Maslow's Hierarchy
\cite{maslowDynamicTheoryHuman1958}. In offering a model describing how Maslow's Hierarchy can be scaled from an individual to a society, it will be helpful to rearrange the hierarchy somewhat. This new form will be called Maslow-3D. We will map its layers into a conceptual three-dimensional (but not scaled) "coordinate system" of body (physical), mind (mental), and soul (metaphysical) categories.
This is a conceptual breakdown. The metaphysical dimension is outside of the geospatial territory of this proposal. There are no units (e.g. IQ) offered for grading the axes. It is purely qualitative, but foundational as an input for Adams (1995) and Rolfe (2012).
\begin{table}[ht!]
\begin{center}
\caption{Maslow-3D}\label{tab:table1}
\begin{tabular}{l|c|l}
\textbf{Axis} & \textbf{Maslow layer needs} & \textbf{Notes} \\
\hline
z, metaphysical & Transcendence & Self-actualization; internal \\
y, mind & Aesthetic, cognitive, esteem & Externally expressable \\
x, physical body & Belonging, love, safety, physiological & External \\
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\end{table}
Aspects of the x- and y-dimensions are external. They form the interface of the individual with the societal surroundings. Thus, they are crucial to deriving a social ontology. It is hoped that individual inputs to society are generally positive, moving the population in a generally useful ``direction''. Again, these are not intended to be quantitative. They are just binary directions that relatively reasonable observers might agree upon.
Maslow-3D can also be considered as a loose polar coordinate system for an individual. This is less important for the ``radius'' from the origin point representing individual state to the mind-body coordinates at the moment than the $(x,y,\theta)$ vector of the soul, the moral compass needle, that informs the course along which ``destiny'' may take a person.
Examples:
\begin{enumerate}
\item A healthy diet and modicum of exercise would be a (+) for the body.
\item Junk food and drug abuse would be (-).
\item Investing in education and exposing oneself to opposing viewpoints would be (+).
\item Becoming insular and immersing oneself in fringe viewpoints would generally be (-).
\end{enumerate}
\begin{table}[ht!]
\begin{center}\caption{Quadrants in a "plane of interaction" for the individual}
\label{tab:table2}
\begin{tabular}{c|c}
\hline
\textbf{II.} & \textbf{I.} \\
\hline
+Mental, -Physical & +Mental, +Physical \\
Insufficient exercise, & Generally productive \\
health issues & \\
\hline
\textbf{III.} & \textbf{IV.} \\
\hline
-Mental, -Physical & -Mental, +Physical \\
Poor relationships, criminality? & Showing up for work, \\
& but stagnating mentally. \\
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\end{table}
Table 2 is qualitative, like Table 1. Its purpose is to aid in relative
comparisons of concepts.
Individuals choose to participate in arbitrary social networks that vary continuously and superimpose strangely, per Adams's ``Extensible Self'' concept ~\cite{adamsReconsiderationPersonalBoundaries1995}. This author participates, for example, in: a family; neighborhood; a community of faith; state and national citizenship; military veteran networks; professional; and academic networks, switchng between them arbitrarily.
Thus far, we have a qualitative framework with which to contextualize individual choices, for example, voting in elections.
\subsection{Dunbar's Number} While the Maslow-3D idea may be considered novel and may not find much traction, there is more analytic heft available at the \~150 people where Dunbar's number kicks in. Adams' ``extensible selves'' and their overlayed Table 2 vectors make an instantly unwieldy graph. The nodes connect in an arbitrary number of topical lattices. However there is a large enough sample size that, given a survey, an aggregate directional indication could be produced.
This is, at a low level, how one theorizes that the radio station formats interact (as every other form of communication) with individual voters to form a zeitgeist.
Dunbar's Number represents a threshold for a group of people to maintain enough interpersonal context to remain a distinctive cohort. Names are remembered; events shared; peer pressure often works; speech tics are distinctive; influencers may affect choices, e.g.\ voting.
Above this threshold, the power of those peer bonds are diminish rapidly. The new hire at the office is not fully read into the group, and is therefore treated warily.
Dunbar's Number is an important point of inflection for both ends of this research inquiry: politics and FM radio station formats. Politics, because modern liberal democratic government is an externalization of individual concerns. Politics, and the ensuing government, are how to scale beyond individual and extensible self capacity to accomplish larger tasks. Once a political system is instantiated, however, a challenge is introduced: how to communicate from ``the many'' back to the individual? Hence advertising, communications consultants, and political parties attempting to shape opinion via media, e.g. FM radio.
\subsection{Precincts}
Above Dunbar's number we arrive at the Precinct, the unit of analysis for the proposal. The precinct appears to be a group of several thousand voters (though the author personally saw a 2022 case where Virginia law did slice off a street and create a precinct containing roughly 150 voters). Thus, a precinct is an overlaid graph of ``extensible selves'' stacked at an unwieldy depth.
The virtue of the precinct is that at this level, official, testable data are available for research.
\subsection{Methodology Summary}
Arguably, this Maslow-3D/Dunbar/Precinct continuum has the utility of a horoscope and adds nothing to the research proposal.
However, merely treating the integer number of voters in a precinct as a simple block of population is equally unsatisfying. There are issues for which strong opinions are held, and results defy predictability.
People are mercurial. Messy. The only model rich enough to capture the detail of the population is reality itself.
Therefore, a model stretching down from the precinct to the individual ballot seems a boon to deriving research questions. Especially those exposing whether the mutability of voters can be explained by the radio station formats in their precincts.
Getting past the confession that this proposal is a ``best effort'', we can proceed to examine radio station format effects on the precinct.
Connecting communications geography to election results occurs within a
methodological context. Ballots are cast by individual voters, but the radio station format is a spatial footprint.
Thus, a framework seems helpful both to guide the choices made in conducting the research and to make explicit the biases creeping into those choices.
In going from the individual to the population, this proposal considers a
continuum that moves from the singular voter to the plural precinct as follows:
\begin{center}
\[Maslow (singular) => Dunbar (plural) => Precinct (plural) \]
\end{center}
While the Central Limit Theorem does not gain traction until the middle of that
continuum, it is still useful to consider the foundation within the theoretical
structure.
\subsection{Maslow-3D}
The starting point for this model is Maslow's Hierarchy
\cite{maslowDynamicTheoryHuman1958}. In offering a model describing how Maslow's Hierarchy can be scaled from an individual to a society, it will be helpful to rearrange the hierarchy somewhat. This new form will be called Maslow-3D. We will map its layers into a conceptual three-dimensional (but not scaled) "coordinate system" of body (physical), mind (mental), and soul (metaphysical) categories.
This is a conceptual breakdown. The metaphysical dimension is outside of the geospatial territory of this proposal. There are no units (e.g. IQ) offered for grading the axes. It is purely qualitative, but foundational as an input for Adams (1995) and Rolfe (2012).
\begin{table}[ht!]
\begin{center}
\caption{Maslow-3D}\label{tab:table1}
\begin{tabular}{l|c|l}
\textbf{Axis} & \textbf{Maslow layer needs} & \textbf{Notes} \\
\hline
z, metaphysical & Transcendence & Self-actualization; internal \\
y, mind & Aesthetic, cognitive, esteem & Externally expressable \\
x, physical body & Belonging, love, safety, physiological & External \\
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\end{table}
Aspects of the x- and y-dimensions are external. They form the interface of the individual with the societal surroundings. Thus, they are crucial to deriving a social ontology. It is hoped that individual inputs to society are generally positive, moving the population in a generally useful ``direction''. Again, these are not intended to be quantitative. They are just binary directions that relatively reasonable observers might agree upon.
Maslow-3D can also be considered as a loose polar coordinate system for an individual. This is less important for the ``radius'' from the origin point representing individual state to the mind-body coordinates at the moment than the $(x,y,\theta)$ vector of the soul, the moral compass needle, that informs the course along which ``destiny'' may take a person.
Examples:
\begin{enumerate}
\item A healthy diet and modicum of exercise would be a (+) for the body.
\item Junk food and drug abuse would be (-).
\item Investing in education and exposing oneself to opposing viewpoints would be (+).
\item Becoming insular and immersing oneself in fringe viewpoints would generally be (-).
\end{enumerate}
\begin{table}[ht!]
\begin{center}\caption{Quadrants in a "plane of interaction" for the individual}
\label{tab:table2}
\begin{tabular}{c|c}
\hline
\textbf{II.} & \textbf{I.} \\
\hline
+Mental, -Physical & +Mental, +Physical \\
Insufficient exercise, & Generally productive \\
health issues & \\
\hline
\textbf{III.} & \textbf{IV.} \\
\hline
-Mental, -Physical & -Mental, +Physical \\
Poor relationships, criminality? & Showing up for work, \\
& but stagnating mentally. \\
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\end{table}
Table 2 is qualitative, like Table 1. Its purpose is to aid in relative
comparisons of concepts.
Individuals choose to participate in arbitrary social networks that vary continuously and superimpose strangely, per Adams's ``Extensible Self'' concept ~\cite{adamsReconsiderationPersonalBoundaries1995}. This author participates, for example, in: a family; neighborhood; a community of faith; state and national citizenship; military veteran networks; professional; and academic networks, switchng between them arbitrarily.
Thus far, we have a qualitative framework with which to contextualize individual choices, for example, voting in elections.
\subsection{Dunbar's Number} While the Maslow-3D idea may be considered novel and may not find much traction, there is more analytic heft available at the \~150 people where Dunbar's number kicks in. Adams' ``extensible selves'' and their overlayed Table 2 vectors make an instantly unwieldy graph. The nodes connect in an arbitrary number of topical lattices. However there is a large enough sample size that, given a survey, an aggregate directional indication could be produced.
This is, at a low level, how one theorizes that the radio station formats interact (as every other form of communication) with individual voters to form a zeitgeist.
Dunbar's Number represents a threshold for a group of people to maintain enough interpersonal context to remain a distinctive cohort. Names are remembered; events shared; peer pressure often works; speech tics are distinctive; influencers may affect choices, e.g.\ voting.
Above this threshold, the power of those peer bonds are diminish rapidly. The new hire at the office is not fully read into the group, and is therefore treated warily.
Dunbar's Number is an important point of inflection for both ends of this research inquiry: politics and FM radio station formats. Politics, because modern liberal democratic government is an externalization of individual concerns. Politics, and the ensuing government, are how to scale beyond individual and extensible self capacity to accomplish larger tasks. Once a political system is instantiated, however, a challenge is introduced: how to communicate from ``the many'' back to the individual? Hence advertising, communications consultants, and political parties attempting to shape opinion via media, e.g. FM radio.
\subsection{Precincts}
Above Dunbar's number we arrive at the Precinct, the unit of analysis for the proposal. The precinct appears to be a group of several thousand voters (though the author personally saw a 2022 case where Virginia law did slice off a street and create a precinct containing roughly 150 voters). Thus, a precinct is an overlaid graph of ``extensible selves'' stacked at an unwieldy depth.
The virtue of the precinct is that at this level, official, testable data are available for research.
\subsection{Methodology Summary}
Arguably, this Maslow-3D/Dunbar/Precinct continuum has the utility of a horoscope and adds nothing to the research proposal.
However, merely treating the integer number of voters in a precinct as a simple block of population is equally unsatisfying. There are issues for which strong opinions are held, and results defy predictability.
People are mercurial. Messy. The only model rich enough to capture the detail of the population is reality itself.
Therefore, a model stretching down from the precinct to the individual ballot seems a boon to deriving research questions. Especially those exposing whether the mutability of voters can be explained by the radio station formats in their precincts.
Getting past the confession that this proposal is a ``best effort'', we can proceed to examine radio station format effects on the precinct.
Who are you hoping to sort out? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
This section may get struck from the thesis proposal for being too touchy-feely. I'm OK with that. I have about a three-volume meditation on existence rattling around in my head that I'll get to in retirement. Much goes unsaid here, as a real discussion of what theta means in the "polar" s
Link please (Score:2)
My browser does not render your post correctly, and I'd like to get to know your point better, as it fits my current Chestertonian ideas on governance and economy.