This theory was proposed by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, research professor of evolutionary anthropology at Oxford University. Dunbar, in 1992, observed a correlation was used to nonhuman primates in order to determine the size of social groups of humans, where predicted a group of 147.8, usually represented as 150. Still, Robin Dunbar was not considered accurate because it is related to the volume of brain Neocortex. Also suggests a difference in the rate of social group size according to species, established by the differential volume of neocortex.

From this experience, made a comparison with observable human groups. Looking into the anthropological and ethnographic literature, conducted a census on the size of social groups within nomadic societies where it determined that the groups were classified into three categories, 30 to 50, 100 to 200 and 500 to 2500 . His research on the social dimension of the tribes seem closer to the prediction, where the size was a Neolithic settlement is approximately 150 people. 150 also sets the point of excision of a settlement huterita. In the military context, establishes the basic size of a professional military unit in ancient Rome and on the contemporaneous times since the sixteenth century. As approximation, 200 members are the maximum allowed in an sub-specialization of academic discipline. Dunbar theorized about this vision that a group size of 150 people, he needed a very high incentive to maintain the union, speculating that at least 42% of the time the group was engaged in sociability, where the language is primarily developed to limit the amount of time. Moreover, argues that the language is an effective device for maintaining social relations, as animals generate more physical activity to keep them, against the social productivity, and that not only is the limit of stable relationships that a person be maintained, but may indicate the limit of people who can become an organic group without a stable pyramidal structure of authority. In the words of Dunbar:

“… there is a cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships, that this limit is a direct function of relative neocortex size, and that this in turn limits group size”

Dunbar, R. I. M. (1993). Coevolution of neocortical size, group size and language in humans. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (4): 681-735.

Wherefore now an application in the management of social policies, such as socialism, fascism and other centralized ideologies, they can operate properly on a small scale, but the when grown index of population, the social cohesion problems arise because of the difficulty maintain adequately controlled relationships between individuals. The number of Dunbar’s theory is applicable to problems of overpopulation, due to the remoteness of the social group average of 150 hypothetical system in any delimited, for example a city, increasing the likelihood of emergence of conflict, which would nowadays, environmental pollution, disorder public, discrimination or criminal acts or criminal.

The number of Dunbar has been studied by anthropologists as a hot topic, to applying theories in marketing and social networking, to study groups of people in virtual worlds and social spaces created electronically. A clear example is social networks like Facebook, Tuenti or other similar characteristics, which provides a significant increase in the number of Dunbar that breaks the direct relationship and the physical process of interaction.

Cameron Barlow, a sociologist who researches on relations within Facebook, confirms the theory of number Dunbar in their application to social networks, which states that Facebook users communicate regularly with only a small core of your friends list . Robin Dunbar himself was revised his theory by applying it on Facebook, in a study to be published later this year where he compared the traffic of thousands of people who are friends with others who have hundreds or less without find a substantial difference between them, thereby confirming his theory, with Barlow, that the brain can not expand their capacity to have meaningful relationships with more people, even within the virtual world. The results of Durban showed a clear diference by gender, where women were better than men to maintain virtual relationships. For them easier to maintain a relationship just talking with friends, while men show a greater need for physical interaction.

On the other hand, the media are built on a strong foundation supported by marketing and advertising, with the ability to create new trends and fashions, including new cultures (subcultures) that produce large changes in the forms of social behavior, with the ability to generate a transversal which is fed from different sources of knowledge. Similarly, the study of media is confronting different disciplines that are interwoven in a complex way between communication sciences, computer engineering and telematics, social sciences, fine arts, business studies political science.

Well it is a process of interdisciplinary study with a strong dose of creativity, where it is necessary to place each of the actors in their specific role, thus opening an overview of the different ideas able to build the concept of average. Some good ingredients for a delicious roast.

A fragment of an article I read years ago when I began to study anthropology.

“Suppose that we were not studying in broadcasting transmissions and society in America in the mid-twentieth century, but the opera and society in Italy in mid-nineteenth century. After all, the opera was in Italy during that period, a mass communication medium. What would we be studying?”

Uses of Mass Communication by the Individual, in W.Ph. Davison/F.T.C. Yu, Mass Communication Research, Praeger Publisher, New York, 1974.

D'altra banda, els mitjans es construeixen sobre una forta base que funcione amb el màrqueting i la publicitat, amb la capacitat de crear noves tendències i modes, fins i tot noves cultures (subcultures) que produeixen grans canvis en les formes de comportament social, amb la capacitat de generar una transversalitat que és alimentada des de diferents fonts de coneixement.

De la mateixa manera, l'estudi dels mitjanes suposa l'enfrontament a diferents disciplines que s'entrellacen d'una forma complexa entre les ciències de la comunicació, l'enginyeria informàtica i telemàtica, les ciències socials, les belles arts, les ciències empresarials i les ciències polítiques . Bé, és un procés d'estudi interdisciplinari amb una forta dosi de creativitat, on és necessari situar cada un dels actors en la seva funció específica, obrint així un panorama sobre les diferents idees amb capacitat per construir el concepte de mitjana. Uns bons ingredients per a un deliciós rostit.

Un fragment d'un article que vaig llegir fa anys quan vaig començar a estudiar antropologia.

"Suposem que no estiguéssim estudiant transmissions radiotelevisives i la societat als Estats Units a mitjans del segle XX, sinó l'òpera i la societat a Itàlia a mitjans del segle XIX. Després de tot, l'òpera era a Itàlia, durant aquest període, un mitjà de comunicació de masses. Què estaríem estudiant?"

Uses of Mass Communication by the Individual, in W.Ph. Davison/F.T.C. Yu, Mass Communication Research, Praeger Publisher, New York, 1974.

The study titled Asessment Criteria for Media Literacy Levels, was designed by Communication and Education at the UAB and directed by Professor José Pérez Tornero. This examines 27 countries where the level of media literacy, the ability of citizens to measure the use of technologies and media, indicating that these low levels of media literacy, establishes a major difficulty for economic development and cultural whole of Spanish society.

These studies appear in several proposals in order to encourage media literacy, echoing efforts in promoting and implementing in the field of education policy, seeking new forms of curriculum innovation, improve public services and provide audiovisual families access to the information society. For their part, the european states should devote more attention to develop the critical sense of their citizens to deepen and enhance active citizenship and participative democracy.

L'estudi sota el títol Asessment Criteria for Media Literacy Levels, ha estat realitzat pel Gabinet de Comunicació i Educació de la UAB i dirigit pel Catedràtic Jose Perez Tornero. Aquest analitza 27 països on el nivell d'alfabetització mediàtica, la mesura de capacitat dels ciutadans per l'us de les tecnologies i els mitjans de comunicació, indicant que aquests baixos nivells d'alfabetització mediatica, establixen una dificultat important per al desenvolupament econòmic i cultural del conjunt de la societat espanyola.

D'aquest estudi en sorgeixen diverses propostes amb la finalitat d'estimular l'alfabetització mediàtica, fent ressò en potenciar i aplicar esforços en el camp de la política educativa, cercant noves formes d'innovació curricular, millora dels serveis públics audiovisuals i la facilitar a les famílies un accés a la societat de la informació. Per la seva banda, els estats europeus haurien de dedicar més atenció a desenvolupar el sentit crític dels seus ciutadans per aprofundir i millorar la ciutadania activa i la democràcia participativa.

This coming Wednesday, 13 January, the project Breakout: Escape from the office will continue its third edition in the former Fabra & Coats factory, located in the district of Sant Andreu in Barcelona. This edition wants to concentrate on creative professionals from various sectors, especially from the fields of culture, artistic production, architecture and design.

The framework could not be more appropriate. The old Fabra & Coats factory is in the process of remodeling, with the aim of becoming a facility within the neighborhood context of factories created spaces to accommodate the creative and artistic city of Barcelona.

The Project Breakout was born last year in New York, as a movement to rethink the use of public space and new models of work and collaboration. The Citilab-Cornella joined the initiative, held its first edition in Cornella and the second last November at L'Illa Diagonal, where he finished as a way of consolidating new uses of public spaces.

El marc no pot ser més apropiat. La fàbrica de filats Fabra i Coats es troba en proces de remodelació, amb la finalitat de convertir-se en un equipament de barri dintre del context de les Fàbriques de Creació, espais per acollir la producció creativa i artística de la Ciutat de Barcelona.

El projecte Breakout va néixer l'any passat a Nova York, com un moviment per replantejar l'us del espai public i els nous models de treball i col·laboració. El Citilab-Cornellà es va sumar a la iniciativa, celebrant la seva primera edició a Cornellà, i la segona el passat mes de novembre, a L'Illa Diagonal, on es va acabar consolidant com una forma de nous usos dels espais públics.

Una estada on ens hem trobat uns quants amics, com Ramon Roca de Guifinet o Paco Fernández de Abla, un petit poble de 1.500 habitants a Almeria que compta amb un model de Living Lab que comença connectant a la gent. No  tenen seu, ni edifici o lloc on treballar. Però s'han posat d'acord per trobar els moments i processos que permet innovar en benefici del benestar social, portant a la pràctica una iniciativa tant interessant com un “cafe de ideas”. Cada dia organitzen una tertulià, on qualsevol ciutadà, pot anar i explicar les seves idees, aprendre dels altres i fer un intercanvi de coneixement, experiències i sobretot la quotidianitat del poble.

L'Estage ha estat el principi del projecte Pirene Lab, punt de partida per traslladar el debat a altres plataformes en xarxa. La llavor ja està plantada a l'alta muntanya i comença a arrelar amb la ajuda del CitiLab, dintre d'un ecosistema molt complexe que vol ser sostenible.

A meeting where we met a few friends. Ramon Roca from Guifinet and Paco Fernández from ABLA, a small village of 1,500 inhabitants in Almeria has a Living lab that connecting the people. Not They have building or work place. But agreed to find the time for discusion and process innovation that allows the benefit of social welfare, taking a practice so interesting as a "coffee of ideas". Every day host a discussion, where people can go and explain their ideas, learn from each other and to exchange knowledge and experiences on the daily life of the village.

The Estage was the beginning of the Pirene Lab project, a point for the discussion moved to other platforms in a network. The seed is planted in the mountain and began to take root with the help of CitiLab, within a very complex ecosystem that want to be sustainable.