Taking care: Four takes on the cyber steward

Abstract

Stewardship denotes a custodial, non-proprietary relationship to a resource or domain. The notion of a “cyber steward” resonates with those of us who regard cyberspace as a commons or domain that belongs to no one, and yet we sense some duty to protect or manage it. This essay explores possible job descriptions of “cyber steward” and what might motivate a person or organization to take the job. The job description can vary with one’s view of the commons. The motivations towards this stewardship usually involves more than the self-interested, prudential concern for future use of the commons, which drives self-organization to preserve natural resource commons. It can also involve more than a desire to reciprocate for the benefits now being enjoyed, as in the gift culture that marked the early days of the Internet. The “sense of duty” might answer to the interdependence of being in cyberspace, respond to a fear for the loss of its freedom, or harbour a utopian vision of a global society enabled by cyber networks. But it can also be a self-serving pretext to shield a ruling elite from criticism or to preserve some technological advantage over others.