Positive feedback loops amplify deviations from the norm
Feedback is the way that a system talks to itself. It facilitates communication between distinct actors/components within a system. Most commonly, a feedback loop refers to the way a closed system monitors and regulates itself. The most widely used example in textbooks is of a thermostat. A thermostat is part of a heating and cooling system; and its role is to measure the temperature of the air and tell the heating or cooling mechanism to turn on or off based on the temperature of the environment (house, office, school). This is a negative feedback loop. Negative feedback loops measure changes in the system and respond in order reverse a system- destabilizing action (deviation from the indicated equilibrium).
Closed systems are not the norm when considering human behavior. Rather, any type of social system that you could think of (be it a family, a school, a business, the media, or the global economy) is an open system. As you already know, The Feedback Loop is concerned with these types of systems.
Open systems can reach incredible levels of complexity due to the number of components, actors, interests, relationships and objectives. Whereas negative feedback loops serve the purpose of maintaining the equilibrium of a closed system, feedback loops often do the exact opposite in open systems. These are called positive feedback loops because they amplify deviations from the norm.
- Tucker Landesman
Related
The 4 stages of a feedback loop
Feedback or a reminder of being watched
Feedback loops that affect behaviour (psychology, not gamification)
Organisations are not Complex Adaptive Systems
(Source: thefeedbackloop.org)
