Castells, Manuel

The main idea in his trilogy is the dialectics between the so-called Net and Self.

The Net refers to social networks of all kind, and in all levels, from networks of nations, to networks of institutions and organizations, to networks of groups, to networks of individuals. The power of the Net refers to the growing of inter-relationships and increasing interdepence in society and economy, and the consequent loss of autonomy. Each entity in society is losing autonomy, becoming more and more dependant on developments in other part of the network. Something that happens in one part affects all the other parts.

The Self refers to an increased concern with identity, again, of all kind and in all levels, from national and religious identity, to gender, class and minority identity, to the identity of groups and individuals. The power of identity counter-balance the power of dominant networks. Although the networking effect refers to an increasing inter-relation and interdependency, what happens is that some networks prevail over others. The dominant one is the global capitalist network, with economically developed countries, multi-lateral trade and financial institutions, transnational corporations, and the ruling and management elite that oversees everything. It is true that the entities inside this network are becoming more and more interdependent, but they as a whole constitute a large network that excludes a great portion of humankind. The excluded ones, too, are integrating in networks of inter-relations, and becoming able to express their identities in a way that affects other networks.

In this way, there is an complex interplay between what is generically referred to as the Net and the Self. There is the networking effect that forces entities to resign their identity in order to participate in the network, but then there is again the identity effect that puts different networks in conflict. To Castells, it is this complex interplay that is molding the main developments of the new society. Different networks have different values, different goals, and different logic. But again, the networking effect is putting them in contact and exposing intrinsic conflicts.

Minds are the main source of economic value, but also the source of meaning, leading to identity, and ultimately, to social behavior.

-- 05.5.2 --

The Net rises from the dialectical interaction of social relations of production and technological innovation accounting for development. The modes of production have been guided by capitalism, with its institutions for creating and distributing profits according to competitive forces. The modes of development evolve from the interaction between science and technology and businesses, and follow a logic of its own. Technology neither only determines social development nor is only an instrument of production. The interplay between capitalism and technological innovation transformed both production and technological development, in which new technology enhances production, which in turn enhance technology.

The result was a global informational economy, where global financing, development, production and distribution happens on the basis of the generation and processing of information. The network enterprise not only shift internal hierarchies, but also change patterns of competition and cooperation among institutions, becoming a system of means composed of the intersection of many autonomous systems of goals. That is, a network of players with different objectives, connected to the entreprise in order to compete/cooperate to achieve those objectives. The restructuring of corporations change the employment conditions, creating a new entity: the networker and flextimer replaces the full-time employee.

The Self stems from the identity building process, which according to Castells, is itself a dynamic motor in forming society, not only an effect of it. Identity building is the process of construction of meaning, privileging some sources in detriment of others. He identifies three types of identity:

• Legitimizing identity, introduced by the dominant institutions
• Resistance identity, produced by actors excluded from dominant processes
• Project identity, created proactively with the aim to transform society

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