Network Power

“…all countries are influenced shaped and ultimately dominated by the logic, interests and conflicts of [the] network society – the multidimensional network of networks structuring people’s lives- while also being shaped and modified by the codes and programs inscripted by people’s action.” – Manuel Castells

This sentence in a nutshell sums up the “power” of our media today. If I understand Castells correctly I could almost equate the change in global climate made by the discovery of nuclear fusion to the network society we are now all a part of. The network, thriving through the internet, is the metaphorical “stone in the pond” that is causing “ripples” that would have us reach some kind of globalization whether we like it or not. I say some kind because the interests that are being broadcasted through the use of networking may be culturally irrelevant to some territories of the world. However, since networking is already here we can’t really do anything about it. Who needed control anyway? Apparently the ever regenerative shifting “switchers” of our power elite did.
I realize I must sound incredibly condescending to the idea of globalization through the use of networks. I can’t stop thinking that not every country in the world should be affected by the “cult cool-aid” that the world powers are “drinking daily.” Besides how can anyone know if the leaders of the network are making the right decisions? Are networks leading towards a utopist world government? Or the image of a utopian world?
Aside from my skepticism of amalgam world leadership through networks, I believe globalization is also happening in a beneficial way. The advent of threads and debates that conquer terabytes of information on the internet, quick access to information about aspects of other cultures in the world, and being able to communicate through microphones between Timbukto and the Figi Islands is amazing. The world is taking an interest in each other and the technology of our time (the internet) makes that easier.