In this week, we explored the impact of advancements in the Internet and computer capabilities upon the growth of the global information network. One of the significant results of the growth is the up rise of a new type of society, the network society.
What the network society comprises of is a collection of worldwide users of the Internet that shares and retrieves information amongst one another. With the surge in Internet and computer advancements, the network society grows that much closer together obliterating borders within that society. Information from and about each individual within this society grows more accessible. Rise of social networking has altered the perception of privacy which people now feel much more open to sharing information of different kinds with more people according to Johnson (2010).
Adding on, through the development of the network society, it develops a potential for network openness, sharing and cyber utopianism. Expanding on the cyber utopianism, it is a belief that online communication is emancipatory and favors the oppressed rather than the oppressor. Cyber utopianism explores the act of people using the network (Internet mostly) to share a piece of information or statement that they usually would not share in real life and those who do are often those that are oppressed.
Those of the network society, primarily Internet users, usually receive some sort of comfort and security behind their invincible veil. They feel that that they are emancipated, free from bonds, in their freedom to share or state the things in their head. This assists the notion as to why cyber utopianism favors the oppressed because those are the very same people that have more reasons to be watchful of what they say in comparison to their oppressor counterparts.
There are positives from the notion of cyber utopianism. It allows one to share their stories and their points of view without suffering from the fear of being apprehended should they get out of line. Moreover, who better to tell the story of the oppressed than the oppressed themselves? Berkmen Centre’s Jillian York has commented in regards to the Egyptian revolution that ,”Egyptians know their country better than CNN, MSNBC, or even Al Jazeera possibly could” (Srinivasen 2011).
With the usage of Internet, other members of the network society are able to gather both sides of the story; from the oppressor and the oppressed. This, in turn, creates a better closure within the world which strengthens the notion of global village which refers to the world becoming more as one with the help of telecommunications.
Reference :
Johnson, B 2010, Privacy no longer a social norm, says Facebook founder, accessed 20/8/2014, http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/jan/11/facebook-privacy
Srinivasen, N 2011, Cyber – skeptics and cyber – utopians: Debunking myths & discussing the future, accessed 20/8/2014, http://www.meta-activism.org/2011/02/of-cyber-skeptics-and-cyber-utopians-%E2%80%93-debunking-myths-and-discussing-the-future/
Global Network 