Layer 8

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Layer 8 is commonly used to refer to the "user" or "political" layer. Since the final layer of the OSI 7 layer Model is the application layer, the user which uses the application is then the 8th layer. Additionally, since the OSI reference model is commonly used to segment issues when troubleshooting, references to an issue being at the 8th layer implies a user error. Thus the saying would be, "it must be a Layer 8 issue," implying that it is being caused by the computer's user.

This is another in the series of terms to describe user errors, such as the PEBKAC acronym and the ID-Ten-T Error.

Political economic theory, as exemplified by Vicent Mosco's "The Political Economy of Communication," holds that the 8th layer is equitably important to understanding the OSI Model. Contemporary arguments over network neutrality (c.f., http://www.saschameinrath.com/newnetworkneutrality), spectrum management (c.f., http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/wireless_net_neutrality), and digital inclusion all shape the technologies comprising Layers 1-7 of the OSI Model.