Human infrastructure
Many digital systems ultimately run on coordinated human action.
REL.36 August 2025developingworking position
The internet gets described through servers, cables, APIs and protocols. But a great deal of what actually happens online depends on people acting in a coordinated way — drivers, creators, reviewers, taskers, buyers, sellers, moderators, audiences.
When a system coordinates their actions, those people are not users of the infrastructure. They are the infrastructure.
This reframes the metric problem. A number is a trace left by a person doing something. Designing for the number and designing for the person produce different systems.