Joinens

Joinens is a fictional sociotechnical concept used to describe a decentralized, participatory network that binds people and digital artifacts into a shared operational system. It is deployed in speculative fiction, design fiction, and theoretical discussions about cooperative technology.

The term Joinens is a coined neologism created to convey the idea of joined agency. It has no fixed canonical form; writers and researchers present variations that suit their narratives or arguments.

Typically, a Joinen network is imagined as a set of nodes representing individuals, organizations, or autonomous agents. These nodes participate through consent-based or consensus-based rules, and interactions are recorded on a transparent ledger or log that tracks contributions, rights, and obligations. Ownership of artifacts is distributed according to agreed criteria rather than centralized control.

Governance mechanisms in Joinens emphasize participation, conflict resolution, and interoperability. Token-like signals may encode influence, while modular tools support task coordination, negotiation, and the revision of collective policies.

Uses include exploring questions of shared ownership, consent-based governance, and resilient collaboration in complex ecosystems. In fiction, Joinens often appear as a way to imagine societies where people coordinate across borders and platforms without centralized intermediaries. In design and academic contexts, it serves as a framework for analyzing participatory design and platform cooperativism.

See also: participatory design, platform cooperativism, distributed ledger technology, cooperative networks.