An accessible and insightful overview of the work of Manuel Castells is this book by Philip N Howard (Polity press, 2006).
Castells places value onto the idea of the network. The idea that the internet is just a mass of information is no longer accurate. He hints at a lack of state control and therefore provides an opportunity for new social movements to use these networks as a discursive and enabling platform for change.
Castells, according to Howard, positions the discussion around the pluralising impact on on individual identities and he also refers to the power to produce counter hegemonic texts where he explains how we can operate independently of the bigger 'cultural affiliations' that are handed down to us.
Castells has also acknowledge the problematic impact of the internet on media ownership. Instead of the plurality of companies and options some theorists had predicted, in fact the opposite has happened. Which is handy because this sort of justifies my research into this area with journalism and the press!
With direct relation to power, Howard points out that Castell's opinion was that the media have increased their power due to the way they have embraced the networked approach that new internet technology has offered. Instead of the state controlled ideas of Gramsci and Adorno's time using the media as a broadcaster the shift hasn't been from state to the consumer but from state to the media producers themselves.
Another word of caution is thrown down by Castells' work as he clearly doesn't see the technology as much of a force for change as perhaps an internet fan boy like Clay Shirkey does. You must study the society of the time to see how the technology works.
No comments:
Post a Comment