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THEORIES OF THE

INFORMATION SOCIETY

Week One: Information and the Public

Habermas & Castells

Gina Lawrence & Tiffany Palioungas

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Websters Introduction

In his introduction, Webster argues:

On the one hand, there are those who subscribe tothe notion that in recent times we have seen emerge

information societies which are marked by theirdifferences from hitherto existing societies

[endorsers] On the other hand, there are scholars

who, while happy to concede that information has

taken on a special significance in the modern era,

insist that the central feature of the present is itscontinuities with the past (6).

Which of these perspectives do you subscribe to?

What do you think are some of the key differencesbetween these two positions on information

society/ies?

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Definitions of Information Society[ies]

Webster argues that there are 5 distinct

definitions of information societies:

Technological Economic Occupational Spatial Cultural

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Technological Information

SocietyNew technologies are one of the most

visible indicators of new times, andaccordingly are frequently taken to signal the

coming of an information society The

suggestion is, simply, that such a volume of

technological innovations must lead to areconstitution of the social world because the

impact is so profound (9).

This being so, can it be acceptable to takewhat is regarded as an asocial phenomenon

(technology) and assert that this then defines

the social world?

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Habermas

and the Proliferation of Information

With the growth of ICT and the informationboom brought on by the internet, some

theorists

Suggest that the democratic process itself may

be undermined owing to the inadequacies of the

information made available to the public, since,

if the citizenry is denied, or if it voluntarily

spurns, reliable information, then how can theideal of a thoughtful, deliberate and

knowledgeable electorate be achieved? (161)

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Information Proliferation

Continued

What is the impact of information proliferationon our concept of democracy? Does it

encourage participation or move us towards

a more private world of saturated

infotainment?

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Information and Democracy

Do these forms of information and participation(public/private) make us more or less

democratized?

What sort of information is necessary for a

democratic society?

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The Public Sphere

[Habermas] argues that, chiefly in 18th and 19th

century Britain, the spread of capitalism allowed the

emergence of a public sphere that subsequently

entered a decline in the mid to late twentieth

century (163).

Crucially, capitalist entrepreneurs

were becoming affluent enough tostruggle for and achieve

independence from church and

state (164)

As capitalism grew and strengthened

influence, so did its enthusiasts move fromcalls for reform of the established state

towards a takeover of the state and use of it

to further their own ends (165).

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The Public Sphere

Continued

To what extent does capitalism have ahold over societal relationships in an

information society?

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Information Management

Information management . . . Is fundamentalto the administrative coherence of modern

government. The reliance on

communications and information has become

paramount for governments in their attemptsto manipulate public opinion and maintainsocial control (190).

Does the growth of the information societyexpand or constrict the capabilities of the

public sphere?

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Objections

Is Habermas public sphere something thathas ever truly existed, or, is it an

unobtainable Utopia that will never be fully

reached?

Has the information society moved users

towards participation in multiple public

spheres?

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Click to add text

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Spatial Information Society

Here, the major emphasis is on

information networks which connect

locations and in consequence can haveprofound effects on the organization of

time and space. It has become anespecially popular index of the

information society in recent years as

information networks have become

prominent features of socialorganization (17).

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The Network Society

Castells argues that we are undergoing a

transformation towards an information age, thechief characteristic of which is the spread of

networks linking people, institutions and countries.

There are many consequences of this, but the

most telling is that the network societysimultaneously heightens divisions while

increasing integration of global affairs (101).

How does Castells definition of the NetworkSociety relate to and differ from Habermas

concept of the (technological) Public Sphere?

O d th N t k

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Occupy and the Network

SocietyCastells identifies

instant wars asthose fought in short

decisive bursts by the

powers that command

the most advance

technologies, andwhich are presented

around the world in

global media. (109)

. . . Megacities . . . aredevelopment engines that

are at once globally

connected and locally

disconnected, physically and

socially (108).

To what extent do you

think either of theseexcerpts apply to online

activist movements,

such as Occupy, Kony,

The Tea Party, etc?

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The Networked Corporation

Castells suggestion is that, even if transnational

corporations continue to exist, they have beendramatically changed. Gone are the days of a global

empire planned and operated by centralized

command from the metropolitan center. In the

information economy, the large corporation . . . Isnot, and will no longer be self-contained and self-

sufficient (104).

Is it possible for a corporation to be successfulwithout being a part of the networked society? Is this

a new era of digital fordism (my own term,

see104)? What are the advantages anddisadvantages?

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The Message or the Medium?

Recent trends [. . .] have developed cable and

satellite television programs in ways that targetaudiences to receive a pre-selected diet of

programs, dividing those who watch, for instance,

Sky Sports from those drawn to MTVs rock

channels. This is why Castells [. . .] refers to suchthings as the message is the medium, since

what they transmit is dependent on the perceived

requirements of segmented audiences (106).

How does this differ from McLuhans assertion

that the medium is the message? Do you side

with Castells or McLuhan? Why?

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Info-Tainment

Castells believes that inclusion on the network is a

requisite of full participation in todays society. This isan argument for extending access to ICTs, especially

to the Internet, as a right of citizenship in the

information age. Despite his enthusiasm for

connectivity, Castells is fearful that, if it is

entertainment-led, it will result in people beinginteractedon by centralized forces rather than being

truly interacting. (107)

Does entertainment detract from the informationsociety? Is this the downside of the network society?

What are the overlaps and connections in Castellsand Habermas ideas regarding info-tainment? What

are the implications of these?

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NEXT WEEK

Information and Labor/Class:

Tizinia Tarranova

Bell (Chapter 3) & Schiller (Chapter 6)