Castells` wrote about the new technology. He said that the technology does not produce society but is a part of it (Castells, 2000). I don’t agree with that because in my opinion the technology is a part of society but also produces it. Without technology the society would look much more different, we could only communicate with people who life in the neighborhood, we would not be able to learn about different cultures so fast. Society exists without technology, it has several hundred years, but when Castells said that we are living in a new society already (Castells, 2000) then he should also commit that technology is not only a part of the society but IS the new society. I think he changed his mind about this because in 2007 he wrote that “our societies continue to perform socially and politically by shifting the process of formation of the public mind from political institutions to the realm of communication, largely organized around the mass media”(Castells, 2007).
When I read the article I had the feeling that Castells is very negative about this new technology, he said that we have to show the challenges of the technologies pose to society and to humans (Castells, 2000). He may be a bit afraid of this technology, because he describes the technology as a “totally open page in terms of what the technology means for our society, civilization, and for the destiny of our planet” (Castells, 2000). I did not get why he is so negative about it.
Literature:
Castells, M. (2000). the contours of the network society. the journal of futures studies, strategic thinking and policy , 02 (00), S. 151- 157.
Castells, M. (2007). Communication, Power and Counter- power in the Network Society. International Journal of Communication , S. 238-266.
I agree with you. I also think that technology is not only a part of society, but it produces society as well. Technology has already changed the society into the world we know today. For example, the internet decides how we spent our day. Without a computer or internet, we would probably spent more time outside, but since internet became such an important part of our life, our daily behavior is influenced by it.
AntwortenLöschenOn the other hand I do understand why Castells could be negative about the new network society; it makes everything less personal. For example this blog, it would be a totally different experience when we would talk about this topic in person. Now we use the internet, because it is easier and you can read the blogs of the other students everywhere. But it is a new development that changes the old communication patterns into a les personel version.
I personally do like new technologies because it creates new options. For me it is also easier to communicate with people all over the world.