Manual Castells suggests in 'Power in the Network Society', that powerful nations that are effectively capable of acquiring and distributing information technologically, are able to control
and achieve bargaining power in global political issues. Individuals who are wealthy
are not affected by the limitations of time nore physical space. An example
would be a business man wanting to know about the markets in China when it is
nighttime in the Western hemisphere and when it is daytime in the East. It is
the nodes within the system of networks that allows individuals to influence their
countries successfully. I find that nations who are able to ethically acquire
information and openly share with the public to be ideal. It is important to
consider that acquiring information when in a country with power, can be
ethically used to advance a country or it can be used against it. There is
video from Business Insider that
showcases how our planet is physically networked with internet cables, enlightening
viewers who wish to know more about networked societies. My question for
discussion is what do you think would happen if a dominant nation like America, were to cut off its internet from the rest of the world, what kind of society
do you it would develop into?
Video of Networked Cables - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlAJJI-qG2k
This is a very fascinating and intriguing question James. The connectivity that the world holds between nation states is remarkable, and global juggernauts such as the United States, China, France etc., are uniquely centred at the thread of this connectivity. In lecture we discussed 'flash trading' and how high-speed communication networks are relevant, simply in order to beat a stock trade by nanoseconds in order to gain privilege. It's incredible how money becomes time – and ultimately, how capitalism has transformed time! Due to the fact that the the States is such an integral physical body and landmass, and is often looked at (supposedly North America in general) be it through mapping, movies, technology, as the centre of the world. World events, elections, trade settlements, and top secret deals are all derivatives of Western culture. I believe a minor state of anarchy would present itself providing that Internet in itself were to be cut off from the rest of the world. A hegemonic outcome, but a prevalent one at that, I would attest.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! To answer your question, I believe that America would not be able to handle not being connected with everyone else. Technology is such an important part of our everyday life. I consider it a necessity because not only do we use it to play games and text and have fun we also use it for normal everyday functions like making business deals, sending emails, marketing online and advertising. Without the internet I’m sure everyone would move away.
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ReplyDeleteI found this question very interesting. It is something I have never thought about before. The internet is such a vital aspect of our lives and we often take it for granted. If America were to cut its internet off from the rest of the world, it is really unpredictable of how our society would develop. I think the United States would also suffer to an extent by isolating themselves from everyone else. Being a “superpower”, the US holds much influence in our world so for them to make a decision such as to “disconnect” from the rest of the world, it would be interesting to see. Evidently, our world has progressed into the place it is due to the means of technology. Additionally, to a point I believe that since the US is so powerful and makes such an impact that they also produce a lot of information on the Internet as well. As you stated, Castells discusses that powerful nations that are capable of acquiring and distributing information technically, are able to control and achieve bargaining power. With that said, a question that crossed my mind was: To what extent would the US Internet be “cut off” from the rest of the world? Would this impact the means of information still on the Internet after being cut off? and Who do you think it would it impact the most?