Instituto Superior Técnico Masters in Civil Engineering. Theme 3: The Network Society

Transcription

1 Instituto Superior Técnico Masters in Civil Engineering REGIÕES E REDES () Theme 3: The Network Society (Manuel Castells (2000) Materials for an exploratory theory of the network society, British Journal of Sociology, Vol. No. 51 Issue No. 1 pp. 5 24) Prof. Filipe Moura 1

2 OUTLINE Social structure components Relationship in production Relationship in experience Relationship in power The role of technology Information age, new economy and the network society Timeless time and space of flows Changes in relationships of production, experience and power Network society and territorial organization 2

3 Social structure is formed by relationships between Production action of humankind on matter (nature), to appropriate it and transform it for its benefit by obtaining a product, consuming (unevenly) part of it, and accumulating the surplus for investment, according to socially decided goals Experience action of humans on themselves, determined by the interplay between their biological and cultural identities, and in relationship to their social and natural environment constructed around the endless search for the fulfillment of human needs and desires Power action of humans on other humans to impose their will on others, by the use, potential or actual, of symbolic (e.g., economic) or physical violence Additional layer of Technology the use of scientific knowledge to specify ways of doing things in a reproducible manner 3

4 Relationships of production Humans in class c Humans in class c-1 Humans in class c-2 Humans at the top of the process decide upon: The organization of labor and production Management of capital and its investment Sharing of the surplus of consumption Hierarchical structure of production relationship 4

5 Relationship of experience + WOMEN MEN + Traditionally organized around the family CHILD REN Characterized by the domination of men over women and children Influenced by the social and economical environment 5

6 Relationship of power State Military body Founded upon the ability to exercise violence Body of laws Citizens Companies Others The main expression of power relationships has been embodied in the state through the monopoly of physical violence or the capability to enforce the dominant rules on restive subjects 6

7 Technology ORGWARE SOFTWARE HARDWARE = TECHNOLOGY The use of scientific knowledge to specify ways of doing things in a reproducible manner Technological paradigms change over time as a consequence of development It is characterized by clusters of inter-related technical, organizational, and managerial innovations, whose advantages are to be found in their superior productivity and efficiency in accomplishing an assigned goal Creative destruction process by which an innovation replaces an older technology by bringing more value at lower generic costs 7

8 Information age Historical period in which human societies perform their activities in a new technological paradigm constituted around microelectronics-based information/ communication technologies, and genetic engineering It replaces the technological paradigm of the Industrial Age, organized primarily around the production and distribution What is new? Not knowledge nor information (always present throughout history) New set of information technologies that Network effect enables the universal interactions of network-diffused technologies (with people/ organizations/cities/regions/etc behind them) enhances and accelerates the production of knowledge and information, in a selfexpanding, virtuous circle (network effect) When network effect is present, the value of a product or service increases as more people/ organizations use it (example in social platforms: facebook, twitter, linked in, etc ) 8

9 New economy Informational The capacity of generating knowledge and processing/managing information determine the productivity and competitiveness of all kinds of economic units: firms, regions, or countries Global Capacity to work as a unit on a planetary scale in real time or chosen time Financial markets, science and technology, international trade of goods and services, advanced business services, multinational production firm and their ancillary networks, communication media, and highly skilled specialty labor Networked (network enterprise) Network made from either firms or segments of firms, and/or from internal segmentation of firms (with specific relational and managerial rules/codes) Large corporations are internally de-centralized as networks Small and medium businesses are connected in networks The unit of this production process is not the firm, but the business project 9

10 Network Society Society in which a combination of social and media networks shapes its prime mode of organization and most important structures at all levels (individual, organizational and societal) Society where the key social structures and activities are organized around electronically processed information networks It is not just about social networks, because social networks have been very old forms of social organization. It is about social networks which process and manage information and are using micro-electronic based technologies Networks become the basic units of modern society (not individuals, groups, organizations and communities) The logic of network society that modifies the operation and outcomes in relationships of production, experience and power Two concepts are behind it: timeless time and space of flows 10

11 Timeless time The rhythm of biological time characterizes most of human existence night/day, breakfast/lunch/dinner, etc Clock time characterized the industrial age punch clock Timeless time is defined by the use of new information/communication technologies where the old concept of time is annihilated Macro scale examples Financial markets, stock exchanges, medias, Micro scale examples Laptops increase mobility in working habits Smartphones enhances mobility of laptops Communications is real-time (chats, sms, etc ) Basic operations at all times (internet banking, shopping, etc ) 11

12 Space of flows Technological and organizational possibility of organizing the simultaneity of social practices without geographical contiguity Most dominant functions in our societies are organized around the space of flows Macro scale examples Financial markets, transnational production networks, media systems, etc. Micro scale examples Telecommuting, videoconferencing, internet shopping, etc 12

13 Change in the relationship of production Networking of relationships of production leads to the blurring of class relationships Instead of an fully hierarchical structure that is yet the most common, labor and capital (two major factors of production) are connected to and determined by the network enterprise (organized around the business objective and not only the firm) Emerging labor characteristics: self-employment, self-programmed employment, higher flexibility/motivation 13

14 Change in the relationship of power The most direct impact of information networks on social structure concerns power relationships Power was embedded in organizations and institutions, organized around a hierarchy of centers (military body, law, etc ) Networks dissolve centers, they disorganize hierarchy, and make materially impossible the exercise of hierarchical power Contemporary information networks of capital, production, trade, science, communication, human rights, and crime, bypass the nationstate Ultimately, the nation-state stopped being a sovereign entity (by Castells) The states reacted by transforming themselves in networks of states UN deciding upon set of rules for sovereignty (among many other functions) NATO is a network of military apparatuses INTERPOL is the largest international police organization (188 member countries) 14

15 Change in the relationship of experience No clear impacts of network society in the relationship of experience (as proposed by Castells) Still, some examples of direct link between network society and the relationship of experience New social relationships of production, translate into a good fit between the Flexible woman (forced to flexibility to cope with her multiple roles) and the network enterprise (=>contributes to the self-determination of women) Networks of information and global communication are critical in diffusing alternative life styles (e.g., home-based work) Reconfiguration of life-sharing forms through networking (not only w/ ICT) New forms of family organization and togetherness (e.g., Skype) Timeless time and space of flows are virtuous in this sense since they lead to greater flexibility 15

16 Network society and territorial organization Digital cities Connected communities that combine broadband communications infrastructure flexible, service-oriented computing infrastructure based on open industry standards innovative services to meet the needs of governments and their employees, citizens and businesses. Cidades e Regiões Digitais 25 projects Electronic provisioning of local government administrative services Pilot projects in areas such as e-business and telemedicine Main objectives: development of peripheral areas improve local economy and employment fight info-exclusion and help citizens with special needs 16