Can we break down the digital world into smaller chunks? I think the answer is yes.

In this model Facebook is a corporation in the Real World and facebook is a country in the digital world.

How so?

Facebook, on January 7 2009, reported that “if Facebook were a country, it would be the most eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria.” With “over 150 milion people now actively using Facebook.” This was on the Facebook blog.

So, why not think of it as a country? A country of the digital world, as opposed to a Country of the Real World. Note that I am not saying that there is a digital USA or a digital UK in the digital world. The model is that facebook is a digital country in the digital world with 150 million inhabitants. So is myspace with 130 million inhabitants.

As a country facebook has 150 million inhabitants and the way it becomes a country is that its inhabitants are Real People in a digital world and, the key factor, capable of independent cross-talk (save real-time video conversations – and a connection to Skype must be imminent). (There is an article by Joshua Keating I found that discusses how to start a Real World country. How that relates to digital countries is interesting.)

Mr. Cox is right. By the model it is not a “democracy” – and we can see in his reference, perhaps, without being too fanciful, a stirring of the idea of digital countries – it is a one-party state, headed by a president, the President/CEO of Facebook. its Terms of Service are its laws, it has its own currency – it standardized on the American dollar, just as for example, Ecuador accepts the American dollar as legal tender throughout the country.

It generates income, an unconfirmed report at Silicon Valley Insider suggests $365 million in 2008 and inhabitants can buy goods produced solely by the state – virtual gifts, with estimates of $50-$60 million dollars in revenue in 2008 according to the same source.

It also keeps long records of all its inhabitants do.

Using this model, questions immediately arise – should facebook be a one-party state? Should its inhabitants urge for representation in some fashion? Some way of having a voice in running the country? Should facebook have direct elections? Because what happens if facebook is taken over (Sold) by someone else, who changes the laws?

What is the relationship between facebook and other countries in the digital world? Should there be a United Nations of the digital world to thrash out differences and common ground? What is the relationship between facebook and a Country in the Real World?

Should facebook issue passports? (actually I think this last is an interesting idea. at $10 a pop and a 10% take up rate that would generate another $170 million in revenue. What the benefits are is another guess – discounts in the Real World? Before you laugh, consider the faux kingdom of Wallachia in the Czech Republic.)

How should the rights of the inhabitants of facebook be represented? Should the Electronic Frontier Foundation be involved? How, exactly, should those who break its laws (the Terms of Service) be treated? Before that manifests itself in the Real World to be dealt with by Real World law? – such as the recent blackmail case in Wisconsin – which started with a young man violating the Facebook Terms Of Service.

(There’s something there too about BBSs being little countries maybe, but I am not going to think too much about that.)

I am amazed that this wonderful thing has sprung up under the noses of the Real World in as little as 5 years.

The alternative argument is to say that the digital world is a single entity and that there are no countries and that is one of its strengths.  That’s a fine argument but I think that using a model such as I propose here might be useful in helping Real People deal with the digital world.

And a general comparison between the digital world and the Real World using the interspheres’ model might still be useful.

But what do I know? I’m just another guy trying to make sense of it all.

p.s. I was intrigued enough by this idea of facebook as a digital country to set up a group on Facebook to discuss it based on my earlier blog post. You can find it here. It hasn’t really got off the ground yet, but we’ll see. (I’ve amended the “office” link to reflect interspheres.)

april 20 2009 – corrected typos.
april 23 2009 – corrected typo.

may 28 2009 – the digital world is made up of many things. See the “about” page for details. Modeling Facebook as a digital country is, however, a useful exercise, IMHO.

aug 20 2009 – stetted correction