Manuel Castells perspectives on the challenges of the network society - Essay Example

A Response to Manuel Castells’ perspectives on The Challenges of the Network Society From “The Internet Galaxy” AResponse to Manuel Castells’ perspectives on The Challenges of the Network Society From “The Internet Galaxy” Network society is a new-age phenomenon that refers to the cultural, socio-political and economic changes that emerge as a result of the incorporation of digitized ways into various aspects of social life. The impact of globalization, industrial capitalism and modernization on the way people communicate, behave, work and send/receive information has been humongous. These changes have been comprehensively discussed by Manuel Castells in his work “The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society” (2001). Manuel Castells, Professor of City and Regional Planning as well as Professor of Sociology at University of California, Berkeley, discusses the historical evolution of internet from 1962 to 1995 and how it may influence the society of the new millennium. In the final chapter of this book titled The Challenges of the Network Society, Castells explains why he feels that instead of uniting the world the network society has divided the people into groups. This paper is a response to the final chapter of Manuel Castells’ work The Internet Galaxy. It will provide an overview of the author’s perspective on the challenges imposed by the network society and Castells’ judgment will be analyzed by comparing with other scholarly sources on the same topic. Manuel Castells has no qualms in admitting the fact that the network society “offers as many opportunities as it raises challenges” (2001, p.275). In his opinion the beneficial aspect of this network society were features like innovation and freedom of thinking that it encouraged but these were gradually overtaken by oppressive and restrictive ways. Instead of encouraging freedom of expression, it provides the means of controlling information as well as prompts the biased and monopolized use of the data (2001, p.277). This is an honest take from the author regarding the potential and somewhat long-term aftereffects of network society. Chris Kitchen argues by assuring that the most incredible fruit of network society “is the role of social media in the recent social movements and uprisings, particularly the momentous events of 2011 starting in North Africa and the Middle East” (2012). From this perspective rapid information sharing and globalization that is primarily regulated by information technology has induced awareness among people regarding their human, civil and political rights. On the contrary, Luke Tredinnick disagrees by providing the example of the democracy protests in Buran during 2007. Tredinnick asserts that due to the fact that “information flows more freely out of repressive regimes… one of the first actions of military junta was to close down mobile phone networks and internet service providers” (2008, p.132). Therefore, Castells apparently is right in his opinion that the probability of information being restricted, altered and even stopped for upholding political, social and/or ideological interests of those in control is highly likely (2001,p.277). Castells believes that the key challenge of network society is that it has created a divisive line between informed and uninformed societies or sections. In his opinion “the cumulative effects of these mechanisms of exclusion divide people around the planet, but no longer along the North/South cleavage, but between those connected in the global networks of value-making.. and those switched off from these networks” (2001, p.277). Internet once symbolized freedom however; in the current scenario it represents the freedom of exploiting others by the conquerors of the value of information. Due to this gap the probability of oppression of the uninformed at the hands of powerful ones increases profoundly. Castells’ opinion that the network society’s dislocating dynamics has turned the aspect of identity as a thing of the past or an alienated other of the globalized society is very true. Today, it is evident that the network society has diminished the autonomy of identity, and globalization has certainly reduced the distinction enjoyed by any society as a collective union of individuals. Darin Barney suggests that “enforced cosmopolitanism as well as enforced localism are systematic by-products of the network society- each in their own way catalyze what Castells describes as the power of identity” (2013, p.1969). A great challenge from Castells’ perspective is that network society has largely jeopardized the self-determined manner of internet usage. Castells writes that “in a network society where most things that matter are dependent on internet-based networks, to be switched off is to be sentenced to marginality” (2001, p.277). Castells also believes that apart from receiving radical protests from active minorities of the developed countries, concerns are also rising regarding the challenges network society pose in sectors like “employment, education, social protection, and lifestyles” (2001, p.276). He argues that globalization of culture has induced profound negative impacts on natural environment and job security along with promoting social inequality and poverty (2001, p.276). He gives the example of Silicon Valley, where during the 90s average wages declined while an extraordinary growth in the “income of the top one-thirds of households” was witnessed, which introduced even developed regions to the phenomenon called economic disparity and imbalance (Castells, 2001, p, 276). However, the fact cannot be negated that although initially the lack of technological expertise prompted inequality and misbalance at workplaces but in the longer run, network society has amplified the scope of earning by providing hordes of different fields of work and opportunities of outsourcing. Today, an unimaginable array of sources of earning and employment has emerged. Even disabled people can easily earn from home and housewives who never got an opportunity to study can do that online nowadays. Costs of products have been reduced due to the immense competition enforced by the emerging markets of developing countries all because of globalization. Jacques Berleur et al. (2006, p.88) assert that “in the customer-oriented business of today, much emphasis is placed on low prices, but despite that, the products must have a high quality. Work that can be performed by unskilled workers is outsourced.” However, the real challenge of encouraging unemployment and inequality that network society presents cannot be overlooked. Castells’ opinion that to eradicate “systematic volatility of global financial markets and vast disparities in the utilization of human resources” it is necessary that newer regulations are implemented that ensures adaptability to the new technology and new market economy, is an insightful approach (2001, p.279). Apparently, this challenge can be prevented if the network society employs a new way of seeing things on the whole. Castells believes that it is important to claim the domination and distinction that people enjoyed once as the game-changers due to the control they exerted through their identity whether personal or collective. The exacerbation of technology-led changes may easily strangulate the promising features of network society such as the positive impacts of “technological ingenuity and cultural creativity” on the economy in particular and the society as a whole (Castells, 2001, p.276). This point is also considerably valid since the emergence of technologically-deprived minorities and interest groups are a product of excessive dependence on integration of information technology. Instead of using it for the betterment of repressed and deprived sections of society, people have started sidelining those who are lagging behind. It is a fact that to earn acceptance in society from both professional and personal aspects, an individual has to prove his/her command on IT and this has brought forth not a revolution but subjugation. What the network society lacks today is the ability of using and spreading information responsibly. Luke Tredinnick believes that “with the proliferation of trans-border flows of information, the cultural and legal integrity of the nation-state is beginning to crumble; information is now distributed across the globe without boundaries, transcending the control of national, legal and regularity frameworks” (2006, p.132). Castells also believe that the need to develop an “autonomous capacity of learning and thinking” is of vital importance in order to restructure the entire educational system in accordance to the changing trends of receiving knowledge (2001, p.278). Alex Fung believes that integrating software and hardware driven modes of knowledge transferring that is promoted by network society is extremely beneficial because it compels tutors for “guiding the students and helping them in their work and working together as companions” (1997, p.29). However, Fung is also of the opinion that “the educational system is faced by continuous challenges in the rapidly changing society” (1997, p.29). The threat of network society sabotaging the entire educational system can be prevented if an approach of flexible decision making is employed and complete reliance on information technology is avoided. Finally, Castells ends his chapter by highlighting the rather long-term issues plaguing the society that will be difficult to eradicate, one of which is the increasing focus on combining micro-electronics and biology, which is a trend that can easily create “technological monsters” (2001, p.280). Moreover, the challenge of environmental degradation is also a mammoth one. The inexorable scans on the planet for digging out more money-making opportunities and accelerated “exploitation of resources” are processes that were deemed critical by Castells and a decade later it is evident that these methods has severely affected the environment (2001, p.279) It can be assessed that the challenges that were highlighted by Manuel Castells back in 2001 were not given due importance by the high and mighty of the network society and the result is that these are still hollering and even gaining prominence. In this way Castells chapter can be termed as a text that mirrored the future. The challenges are only growing instead of being confronted and eliminated. An analysis of other scholarly sources also substantiates Castells perspective on the evils of the network society. Therefore, it can be suggested that the challenges that he introduced the readers to through this chapter are practically proven and cannot be rejected at all. References Barney, D. (2013). The network society. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Berleur, J., Nurminen, M. I. & Impagliazzo, J. (2006). Social informatics. New York: Springer. Castells, M. (2001). The internet galaxy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fung, A. C. W. (1997). Information technology in educational management for the schools of the future. Berlin: Springer. Kitchen, C. (2012). The network society?. Corporate Watch Magazine, Iss. 52-53. Tredinnick, L. (2008). Digital information culture. Oxford, England: Chandos. Read More