Political Economy of the Network Society - Essay Example

litiсаl eсоnоmy of thе network sосiеty Name Subject Professor Date Роlitiсаl eсоnоmy of thе network sосiеty Digitalization is an aspect that cannot be underrated in today’s discussion especially when it comes to the influence it has had on the society. Apart from enhancing communication and connecting people who are widely separated by distance, new media has been used for various purposes including politics. For instance, protest movements in different parts of the globe represent a new trend that makes use of new means of communication as well as political organization. The internet and other social media channels play fundamental roles in various movements including the well-known Arab Spring. Media, especially the new social media networks, has a great influence on individuals and groups of people and can easily initiate action on political and economic lines. This piece of paper will give a critical discussion of the issue of political economy of the network society and various aspects associated with it. Some of the concepts that will be highlighted include the following. The rise of the internet and its impact on the society, what network society entails, politics online versus traditional politics and the aspect of time in the network society. In addition, the positives and negatives of the network society, whether social media is social or anti-social and positive and negative relationships between globalization and the network society will be assessed. To gather adequate information on the same, the role of new media in politics, information overload associated with the network society and aspect of space of the network will be evaluated. The internet is a major tool when it comes to communication and connectivity among individuals and groups of people. The internet can be said to be a global system of computer networks, which are interconnected. The internet protocol suite is used in linking devices across the globe. It is simply a network of networks that uses various networking technologies to function properly. Within the internet, there exists a wide range of information services and resources such as the World Wide Web, communication and data transfer. The internet has various impacts on the economy, politics and the society at large. The social impact of the internet is overwhelming. For example, the internet has made it possible to have new forms of social interaction, social alliances and activities. On the political scene, the internet has attained new relevance as a political tool. Most political groups make use of the internet to achieve and execute their political agendas, through internet activism, an aspect that is associated with rebels in the Arab Spring. A good example where great success was seen by using internet in politics was in the presidential campaign of Dean Howards in 2004 especially in soliciting donation. Social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter have found use in the organization of political movements and revolutions. They have been used as tools through which protests are organized, information disseminated and grievances communicated (Szell, Lambiotte and Thurner, 2010, p. 13638). With the advancement of time, technology is inevitable and progress cannot be avoided. To a great extent, I believe that the shape, form and functions of the internet were inevitable. Some advancement went along with time and what was in disposal for it to happen and with time, all has been on the change as technology is on constant change. Since the origin of the internet in the 1960s, there have been various developments in the right direction as technology grows and aspects such as communication and interconnectivity have been greatly enhanced (Kostakis and Bauwens, 2014, p. 112). Although the initial roles could have changed as times advance, it has been to embrace changes in demands and needs of the society. Network society is an aspect that has been received with mixed reactions. While some theorists perceive it as a space of limitless cultural and social opportunity, others find it to be a much more limited space that is characterized by commercialism and commodification. This is more so because various individuals from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds can connect online on various life issue. According to Barney (2013, p. 1983), it is difficult to specify the culture of the network society. On the other hand, a network society could be seen as a tool for the mighty or those who can afford to go online. It is also used for business purposes to trade various products and services. Depending on one’s perspective and understanding, either of the notions could hold. With the advancement of technology and social media in particular, various things and processes are carried out online as opposed to the traditional way. Politics online is not an exception. Politics online can be compared to digital activism whereby the internet and social media networks are used to facilitate political agendas as opposed to the traditional means of having to meet with the citizens face to face. The internet is also capable of bringing along new kinds of activists by making it less complicated to participate in political missions. Graham (2010, p.36) asserts that to a great extent, politics online is a process that complements traditional politics rather than detract it. This is more so because it helps in reaching a vast number of people simultaneously. The youths who are more into social media are particularly reached through online politics as any political agenda or campaign is passed through different social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. There is also ease of campaign analysis that in turn helps in making appropriate political measures. Other benefits include cost effectiveness and speed of information. It is however worth noting that politics online has its downside. For instance, there are security issues that come with the use of internet. The internet may also fail to produce an enhanced democracy and may bring up the issue of the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. Anonymity or lack of accountability is also a problem with online politics as compared to traditional politics (Wright, 2012, p.252). Both traditional and online politics have some benefits as well as drawbacks. For a good balance, it is advisable to embrace the positive attributes of politics online and those of traditional politics and effectively deal with the negative attributes of the same. This way, there will be good progress and the political objectives will be accomplished without difficulties. The network society has with no doubt influenced people relationship with the concept of time. People are used to spending most of their time on various social media platforms for various reasons including business and politics. To some extent, individuals are disconnected to the reality of things as they are too much into social media. A disconnect could also be witnessed between the people who are technology savvy and those who are not. Personal and physical connection among individuals has considerably reduced, as connection over different social media platforms is preferred (Baker, Warburton, Hodgkin and Pascal, 2014, p. 472). The manner in which people communicate and interact has change over time due to social networking. Much has been said about the network society. Nonetheless, a critical look at its positives and negatives will help have a deeper understanding on the whole concept. On the positive side, network society, especially through the internet, is associated with confidence, individual freedom and capacity to influence others. It requires tangible facts to induce individuals to protest and incite reactions at individual as well as collective level. Network society is developing and media and networks are growing into social spaces, which are in a position to mould power. There are also the aspects of worldwide connectivity, commonality of interest, and real-time information sharing among others. On the other hand, network society has some negatives. They include backlash, cyber bullying and crimes against innocent individuals, risks of fraud or identity theft, time wastage as well as invasion of privacy among others (Castells, 2011, p. 1969). There is need to embrace the positives of network society while at the same time handling the negatives in an appropriate manner. Social media could be argued to be either social or anti-social in nature based on its characteristics. In as much as social media is making it possible for individuals to connect with each other even over distances, it has been said to have an effect of making people antisocial. For instance, when people are so inclined to social media, they tend to replace real human interaction with it. People do not see each other as much as they used to prior to the advent of social media, an aspect that kills the physical connection. It is also used for cyber bullying. However, it can be argued that social media allows people to make friends and hence it is a positive device in promoting socialization. Communication through social networks is also associated with some form of boldness even for individuals who are relatively shy in reality and they therefore feel free to connect and share with others (Qualman, 2010, p.56). It also allows for communication between distant relatives, which could otherwise be impossible. Globalization and network society are connected in some ways. For instance, globalization is all about connectivity among different units and network society is about people being interconnected. Both are associated with a shift in the temporal and spatial dimensions of social life. Globalization has greatly led to the coming up of the network society. The network society is a global society since networks have no boundaries. The connections could be positive or negative as can be seen on the outcomes or consequences. On the positive side, there is enhanced information sharing and self-representation. There is also diversity is aspects such as culture. Technology can be utilized to preserve culture, customs and language. This is more so since it allows for preservation of personal and collective identity through empowerment and autonomy. On the negative side, there could be stereotyping and misrepresentation which could result in loss of intellectual property rights (Martinez‐Fernandez, Audirac, Fol and Cunningham‐Sabot, 2012, p.217). Commercialization and loss of individualism are also issues of concern. According to Khondker (2011, p.678), new media is an aspect that cannot go unmentioned when talking about the Arab Spring of 2011. Social media played a fundamental role in the coming together of so many individuals. It aided interaction and communication among political protests and participants. Social media was used to disseminate information, organize demonstrations as well as create awareness of the ongoing events on a domestic and international level. Basically, social media drove the political agendas and campaigns. This helps in understanding the role of new media in politics even in current times. A vast amount of information is generated in the network society and aspect that can be termed as information overload. This is more so because large amounts of information are exchanged every minute through the internet without restriction. Information overload could be looked at as a problem. This is more so since it reduces the quality of decision to be made out of the gathered information. Misinformation is also an issue with information overload since not all people are in a position to distinguish between what is right or wrong (Davis, 2011, p.47). People should be informed on strategies of dealing with information overload. Space is a crucial aspect of the network society. Networks and media that characterize network society are now used as social spaces that are in a position to mould power. A look at the outcomes of most protest movements dictates that social media and the internet could not have been adequately influential in transforming the real political situation in the manner they were intended. Nonetheless, the development of interactive communication networks that are across-the-board in nature has allowed for the institution of a new form of mass self communication. This has changed the public sphere from the institutional universe to a new communication space. New social media has made it possible to come up with a better form of global democracy, to enhance communications between leaders and the citizens and to promote people’s awareness of rights (Rice, 2012, p.106). This is a positive move. From the above discussion, it is apparent that the concept of network society is relatively comprehensive. It touches on a wide variety of issues including politics and economy. Advancement in technology and social media in particular play a great role in the network society. Network society is associated with some positive as well as negative attributes as discussed above. An understanding of various factors that surround the network society such as social media and globalization is crucial. References Baker, S., Warburton, J., Hodgkin, S. and Pascal, J., 2014. Reimagining the relationship between social work and information communication technology in the network society. Australian social work, 67(4), pp.467-478. Barney, D., 2013. The network society. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Castells, M., 2011. The rise of the network society: The information age: Economy, society, and culture (Vol. 1). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Davis, N., 2011. Information overload, reloaded. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 37(5), pp.45-49. Graham, T., 2010. Talking politics online within spaces of popular culture: The case of the Big Brother forum. Javnost-the Public, 17(4), pp.25-42. Khondker, H.H., 2011. Role of the new media in the Arab Spring. Globalizations, 8(5), pp.675-679. Kostakis, V. and Bauwens, M., 2014. Network society and future scenarios for a collaborative economy. New York: Springer. Martinez‐Fernandez, C., Audirac, I., Fol, S. and Cunningham‐Sabot, E., 2012. Shrinking cities: Urban challenges of globalization. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 36(2), pp.213-225. Qualman, E., 2010. Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Rice, J., 2012. Digital Detroit: Rhetoric and space in the age of the network. Illinois: SIU Press. Szell, M., Lambiotte, R. and Thurner, S., 2010. Multirelational organization of large-scale social networks in an online world. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(31), pp.13636-13641. Wright, S., 2012. Politics as usual? Revolution, normalization and a new agenda for online deliberation. New Media & Society, 14(2), pp.244-261. Read More

A good example where great success was seen by using internet in politics was in the presidential campaign of Dean Howards in 2004 especially in soliciting donation. Social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter have found use in the organization of political movements and revolutions. They have been used as tools through which protests are organized, information disseminated and grievances communicated (Szell, Lambiotte and Thurner, 2010, p. 13638). With the advancement of time, technology is inevitable and progress cannot be avoided.

To a great extent, I believe that the shape, form and functions of the internet were inevitable. Some advancement went along with time and what was in disposal for it to happen and with time, all has been on the change as technology is on constant change. Since the origin of the internet in the 1960s, there have been various developments in the right direction as technology grows and aspects such as communication and interconnectivity have been greatly enhanced (Kostakis and Bauwens, 2014, p. 112). Although the initial roles could have changed as times advance, it has been to embrace changes in demands and needs of the society.

Network society is an aspect that has been received with mixed reactions. While some theorists perceive it as a space of limitless cultural and social opportunity, others find it to be a much more limited space that is characterized by commercialism and commodification. This is more so because various individuals from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds can connect online on various life issue. According to Barney (2013, p. 1983), it is difficult to specify the culture of the network society.

On the other hand, a network society could be seen as a tool for the mighty or those who can afford to go online. It is also used for business purposes to trade various products and services. Depending on one’s perspective and understanding, either of the notions could hold. With the advancement of technology and social media in particular, various things and processes are carried out online as opposed to the traditional way. Politics online is not an exception. Politics online can be compared to digital activism whereby the internet and social media networks are used to facilitate political agendas as opposed to the traditional means of having to meet with the citizens face to face.

The internet is also capable of bringing along new kinds of activists by making it less complicated to participate in political missions. Graham (2010, p.36) asserts that to a great extent, politics online is a process that complements traditional politics rather than detract it. This is more so because it helps in reaching a vast number of people simultaneously. The youths who are more into social media are particularly reached through online politics as any political agenda or campaign is passed through different social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.

There is also ease of campaign analysis that in turn helps in making appropriate political measures. Other benefits include cost effectiveness and speed of information. It is however worth noting that politics online has its downside. For instance, there are security issues that come with the use of internet. The internet may also fail to produce an enhanced democracy and may bring up the issue of the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. Anonymity or lack of accountability is also a problem with online politics as compared to traditional politics (Wright, 2012, p.252). Both traditional and online politics have some benefits as well as drawbacks.

For a good balance, it is advisable to embrace the positive attributes of politics online and those of traditional politics and effectively deal with the negative attributes of the same. This way, there will be good progress and the political objectives will be accomplished without difficulties. The network society has with no doubt influenced people relationship with the concept of time.

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