Castells Article

The article I want to discuss this week is “Why Networks Matter” by Manuel Castells.  He defined our modern times as the “network age.”  This is an appropriate name because information is quickly shared and accessed on social networks.  Networks are easily accessed with the overwhelming popularity of smart phones, which makes it effortless to check Facebook, tweet, and access the Internet any time you want.  This access on our smart phones is invaluable because society considers information an essential source of wealth and power.  In general, citizens do not know everything about everything; instead they search for information on their networks.   This leads to Castells point that “the technological paradigm is the dominant medium for social organization.”

Castells continued to explain how the network society extends to a global scale.  It is remarkable to think that even though all countries do not have access to the same technological resources, technology and networks affect everyone.  A cause to raise money to fight AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa can be passed through networks and social media.  Although villagers in Africa will not see the post in an online forum, they will still receive the services and benefit from the use of networks.