The Network Society - Term Paper Example

 How Individuals Benefit or Suffer from the Network Society Introduction Network society refers to a global platform that resulted from the emergence of information technology, reconstruction of capitalism in contemporary communities and diverse cultural or social movements experienced between the 1970s and 1990s. The impacts of network society reforms were extensive and influential to current generation. Emergence of the network society prompted an integration of information system through efficient communication, reforms in world economies and political or cultural movements (Barney 2004, p. 3). There are diverse benefits and demerits of network society on politics, economics and social issues in contemporary communities. Concept of Network Society Network society encompasses cultural, political, economic and social changes that resulted from broadening of the digital sphere of information, networking and communication technology developments. Network society focuses on elaborating effects of industrial entrepreneurship and modernization (Hassan 2004, p. 8). It is a society in which economic, social, political and cultural structures organization, constitutes electronic information systems. Network culture encompasses socio-economic, political and cultural networks management and processing based on micro-electronic technologies. Network culture represents the convergence of independent processes as information technology, restructured capitalism and socio-cultural movements. Information technology changes formed the foundation of network culture creation (Whelan 2013, p. 64). It is a representation of a new social structure, culture and a new economic structure. Centralization of these structures forms the network society around networks in which there is free multidirectional communication. Power of the network society exists in the global system itself. Global network comprises wealth, images, and information that revolve around the world. Characteristics of the Network Society Network society has various characteristics including expanded access to information, high performance of the global, national and regional economies, network enterprise, culture of real virtuality, social polarization and space flows. The Informational Economy Network society has its foundation in information capitalism. Information capitalism centers economic activities such as production and distribution on innovation, flexibility and technological skills. For instance, use of computerized technology in industrial production, marketing or distribution. Competitiveness and productivity of firms, regions, and countries depends largely on informational advances. Information technology applications in economy are diverse and indispensable in modern societies (Castells 2011). Capital flow in the form of currencies, stocks and commodities now depends on information relay systems and assorted networks that are inclusive of socio-political advances. Information technology presents potential avenues for solving modern problems. However, informational economy tends to be discriminative compared to the industrial economy. Global Economy A networked society creates a planetary scale in which core dominant economic activities have the potential to work out as a unit. For instance, labor remains localized contrary to globalized capital. Furthermore, capital can flow across the world, as energy remains grounded and territorial. Global economy harmonizes labor and capital with the aim of improving economy. Global economy makes companies, workplaces, markets and cities to remain flexible in the economy. Social Polarization and Exclusion Global trends such as business networking and labor individualization have adverse effects on social setups and institutions. Globalization weakens labor unions and nations welfare as all social settings are polarized or excluded. Politics Network society compels daily politics to occupy spaces in the media to help marginalize ideologies, art and actors. Politics in a networked society occupies the larger percentage of media system such as television coverage (Hassan 2004, p. 2). A networked organization comprises of daily political scandals, assassinations, political marketing, corruption and political legitimacy cases (Cardoso 2006, p. 259). Network Society versus Social Networks Some of the relevant applications of the network society include art of designing analytical tools for accessing societal interactions and associations (Reynolds 2014, p. 335). System approach is applicable in complex global systems and minority group analysis. Art designs in several disciplines as social science and mathematics are important in investigational analysis in contemporary networked society. Another social networking occurrence in February the year 2000 involving computer crime clarified further the capabilities of a linked network. In that year, a teenager in her fifteen years of age managed to link computer networks and affected them with sending viruses. Virus sent through the network paralyzed traffic data channels of American based service and commercial homepage servers like Yahoo, eBay and Amazon. It also paralyzed all the social pages operations and companies’ online operations. Social Capital and Civil Society Social capital is a factor of social network that mainly involves human relationships through a series of network systems and connectivity. In a societal context, social capital promotes healthy individuals relations at families and society levels (Maloney & Deth 2008, p. 19). The society, therefore, creates social capital through development of mutual relationships amongst members of the society. Social capital creation is an art that community development artist relies on to help meet needs of the society through creation of healthy network connections. Social capital is a function of individualized art. It defines the capabilities of creating interpersonal relationships in the society. Interpersonal relations created increases proportionally with social capital. Increased social capital in existing social network recounts improved individual life in the community. Social capital is therefore of elemental significance in socio-economic foundation of societal human relations. Network Economy Network economy, in the context of the information society, relates to the coordinated economic structures. Individualized social relations constitute both network society and economic issues. Commercial network is integral to societal information studies implemented through networking. Commercial network is an architecture that improves creation of value, products and services within an organization. Art of networks always remains relevant and efficient in solving societal needs because of its flexibility in processing knowledge and enhance information availability. Network relevance in the economy helps to foster relationships between companies. Network has the capability to distinguish boundaries of networks of individual companies. The system design increases in ability and strength depend on the bilateral relationship within the network. As the network enlarges, it becomes more valuable and accommodative. Participants in the network include state, multinational companies, universities and self-employed persons. Such complex network society that is accommodative of other social networks whether religious or business is an artifact of the design. Effects of the Network Society The new network society inherits traditional media problems such as information rights, property rights, freedom, pricing issues, and privacy among other challenges. In the first place, network society has many concerns regarding reliability, confidentiality and deception of system information. Bloggers and internet sites have become deceptive and self-centered in relaying information to media users. These media owners control the information fed into internet sources whether in business, politics or social settings. They ensure that relayed information meets their greed and missions at the expense of the users. Media users should discern information they listen to and act as watchdogs to bias and corruption. Loss of Identity and Tradition Network society influences individuals’ lives, society’s conventional norms and community cultural practices. Individuals may lose their characters to form different groups known as virtual communities. Personality change is evident in social settings like homepages where users give inaccurate personal data. As the trend of mistrust and personal information corruption exemplifies, individuals forgets their real identity. Social influence on ancient community groups through internet dominance results in the formation of virtual communities. Virtual communities represent groups of network users merged by their common goals, interest and missions. These virtual groups threaten the very existence of nature and cultural settings. Cyber Bullying Increased use of social networking and mobile phones mostly by young adults and youths has contributed to the spread of cyber crime based issues (Kowalski et al. 2012, p. 56). Adolescents and even adults confront each other through social networks using offensive words. Such abusive messages can depress network users and may even result into deaths. There is evidence that social networking isolation has an inherent connection with narcissism that affects digital technology users. Addiction to online social networking mostly results into physical separation of users, a condition described as internet paradox. Researchers in social networking hypothesize a relationship between loneliness and frequency of online social networking. Studies in social networking subjects indicate that individuals who exhibit loneliness are frequent social networkers. On the contrary, individuals who engage in physical interaction remain less worried and lonely. Culture in the Network Society In contemporary societies, cultural structures exist that helps in maintaining beliefs and behavior of its members. A networked organization identifies a societal setting and traces its background information. However, network society is diverse and incorporates multiculturalism since it is a global system. The network society creation starts from networks of various cultural settings with self-historical to that of national views (Hassan 2004, p. 8). Multiplicity of the network may result into different institutional cultures. The main unifying factor of the multiple cultures is globalization. A culture based on communication may also develop in a networked society. Such cultures coexist through interaction and sharing of information through the media. It is a culture created by global network society to enable efficient communication and understanding between cultures (Siapera 2010, p. 184). Benefits of the network society System gains usefulness from a high number of users through a process referred to as a network effect. As more members of the society join the network, the networks’ relevance and value manifest through transformations in the value of life. Network effect has positive implications on the development of companies. For instance, Bell telephone, a company that offers telephone services in the United States, applied the principle of the network effect to attain a monopolized market (Ballantyne & Mendola 2014, p. 7). Research in the network society through Metcalfe’s law has shown that those who are out of network pays more than those included in the system do. It is, therefore, more beneficial to be part of the network society just as the art of law dictates. Metcalfe’s law explains why the contemporary society has more users in connected to network the community through mobile phones of social pages such as facebook (King 2010, p. 319). Digital networks have increased sending of messages throughout the world through improvement of online social networking. Digital network has realized such an occurrence because of its able to override gatekeepers and transmit messages throughout the globe. Connectivity has also improved among people who reside in distant geographical areas through social networks. Family members, corporate businesses and international relations agreements and chants have become easier through the network community (Lillard 2010, p. 119). Moreover, connectivity has enabled online emergence of like-minded individuals or groups such civil rights movements or human rights activists. Economic importance and value of social networking has lead to the adoption of the network society in operation of corporations. Many companies have made extra profits from creation and management of social networks such as yahoo. Moreover, these companies monopolize economy of social networking with the aim of centralizing benefits (Drew 2013, p. 182). For instance, Yahoo bought GeoCities social networking sites in 1999 to help eliminate competition (Garber 2013, p. 1). Results of monopolizing networking may be both negative and positive though, in the case of Yahoo, there was a definite income realization. Adverse outcomes cases include the buying of MySpace by Newscorp. After sale of MySpace, face book was developed, and social network users abandoned the former for the latter (Ballantyne & Mendola 2014, p. 7). Newscorp registered great market loss. Business in the network society, therefore, requires a sense of artistry in designing and analyzing market trends before venturing into business. Network and Corporate Power The perceived corporate control of social networking revolves around the ability to attain dominance from networks. The theory of network power revolves around capabilities of programmers in developing networks that serves their interests. Such self-centered programming of social network sites helps in dictating system and corporate power. A corporation that develops integrated network systems enjoys social network market and its associated benefits. Example of an integrated system is facebook incorporations that integrate Spotify and YouTube utilities in their network (Agosto & Abbas 2011, p. 29). Conclusion The network society has its unique characteristics. Emergence of the network society had negative and positive implications on politics, economics and social issues in contemporary communities. The network society comprises various political, economic and social issues. All concepts of the network society have beneficial and harmful effects on individuals. Bibliography Agosto, D., Abbas, J 2011, Teens, Libraries, and Social Networking: What Librarians Need to Know, ABC-CLIO, Boston. Association, I 2010, Networking and Telecommunications: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, Idea Group Inc (IGI), London. Ballantyne, N., Mendola, W 2014, Human Services in the Network Society, Routledge, New York, NY. Barney, D 2004, The Network Society, Cambridge, UK, Polity. Cardoso, G 2006, The Media in the Network Society: Browsing, News, Filters and Citizenship, CIES, Lisboa. Castells, M 2011, The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY. Garber, M 2013, Quiz: GeoCities or Tumblr? The Atlantic, Retrieved August 22, 2014 from http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/quiz-geocities-or-tumblr/276029/. Hassan, R 2004, Media, Politics and the Network Society, McGraw-Hill International, New York, NY. King, B 2010, Bank 2.0: How Customer Behaviour and Technology Will Change The Future Of Financial Services, Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. Kowalski, R., Limber, S., Limber, P., Agatston, P 2012, Cyberbullying: Bullying in the Digital Age, John Wiley & Sons, Malden, MA. Lillard, K 2010, Social Media and Ministry Sharing the Gospel in the Digital Age, CIES, Lisboa. 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