d the space of flows
. bandwagon effect
. technological determinism
. the tendency toward oligopoly in media history (McChesney)
. public investment and private gain in media history (McChesney)
. the state, the political class, and their relationship with media (Nesbitt-Larking)
1. Context and Perspective: Ownership and Policy in a “Space of
Flows”
source: Manuel Castells. “Materials for an Exploratory Theory of the Network Society.”
American Cultural Studies: A Reader. Ed. by John Hartley and Roberta Pearson. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2000.
a. the network society
Manuel Castells is a Spanish-born sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who
is world-renowned for his research into international development, globalization, and new
information technologies.
Castells is one of the world’s preeminent theorists of the emergent shape of the world in a
media-rich environment. The world that is taking form before our astonished eyes is one 4-17
defined by the “network society,” and the texture of this new global culture is characterized
in his work as the “space of flows.” The “space of flows” presents certain stubborn problems
with regard to media policy and regulation, as its very fluidity makes it especially resistant to
attempts by governments or regulatory agencies to manage it.
What are the network society and the space of flows?
The network society is a model of social life based on the idea o英语论文网 【http://www.51lunwen.org】f a “network.” Networks are
multi-linear, have no single source, centre, or endpoint, grow exponentially, and allow for the
rapid and efficient sharing of information among those who participate. Networks are the
oldest forms of social organization larger than the immediate family or community, and were
manifested in ancient history as alliances between hunting and gathering groups, in ancient
trading networks dealing in silk, spice, and gold, and as informal political federations among
communities and cities. When the state emerged thousands of years ago, the network was
marginalized due to the state’s superior ability to concentrate and distribute resources such
as people, wealth, and information. Castells’ network society concept, of course, relates
very much to Rheingold’s discussion of networks as a form of social organization especially
relevant to contemporary culture and technology. Indeed, it extends the network idea
beyond Rheingold’s argument, offering us a model of society itself with the network at its
centre.
In the world of today, where the state has lost power, the global market gained power, and
new information technologies allow for instant worldwide communication, the ancient
“network” has come back as a dominant form of social organization. What are the network’s
essential features?
it is built of various organizations, interests, and elements in a non-hierarchical and
decentralized form it excludes anything
本文来自：英语论文网 【http://www.51lunwen.org】 |
论文编号：
lw200707250855363549 
