Make Up Assignment for Castells

In “Information Technology, Globalization, and Social Development,” Manuel Castells discuss our social crisis the problem of inequality and polarization on a national and global level. It is the problem of people and places with value remained connected, while those that lack value are disconnected and vanish. This type of disconnection from the valuable network is what Castells is describing when he writes about "social exclusion."   I think this idea that individuals are excluded and made worse off is very disheartening.  I like to think of the Internet and technologies as something positive.  I don’t think its good that such a valuable resource is being used to exclude people and hurt their livienhood.  This issue should not be ignored and we should focus on finding a solution before the problem becomes magnified.  This social exclusion relates to technology because networks are made up of  "a set of interconnected nodes." With advanced technological communication, valuable people get jobs, high wages and remain in the loop while others get left behind. The inequality gap has been increasing over the years, which is partly due to the fact that the poor are not connected in this technological network, yet their livelihood still depends on it.
The "organizational change" is the idea that organization form is different today. The network loop has a positive feedback affect and allows those inside it to become more valuable and increase their standard of living. This loop has a high degree of flexibility, meaning that it changes often and easily. However, the technological change results in a transformation in the lives of the people in the local community - who cannot adjust as easily. This organizational change creates problems for societies and individuals.  I think that the flexibility of the loop is something good.  This means that we can transform the network so it improves the lives on everyone.  Yes it needs modification because right now it is affect society negatively in areas.  But the fact that we can adjust it means there is hope for the future. 

Castells explains that the common understanding in regards to the process of transformation and its origins and implications is lacking.  He tries to show that information technology is essential for economic and social development, it allows counties to "leapfrog stages of economic growth" but at the same time places countries that cannot adapt the new technologies in "cumulative retardation."  I completely agree with Castell here.  I think this leapfrog affect is one of the most valuable resources about the Internet.  It has the capability to transform entire countries for the better.  Then internet and technology can provide tools to advance their industries and hence their economies. It also provides a voice to the marginalized to form and speak out against oppressive regimes.  This creates a cycle of either development or "downward spiral of underdevelopment." Globalization is the other factor in the common understanding that Castells tries to explain.  He says that capital markets are all connected globally and small and medium businesses make up the bulk of the world economy (namely in the US, Western Europe and Japan). The side affects of globalization are that the global economy will impact us everyday, but it will not include everyone. Castells attempts to explain the phenomena of Information technology and globalization to show the negative side affects that create social crises across the globe.
In Castells second article, “The Network Society: Form Knowledge to Policy,” he discusses the structural transformation that has been taking place recently.  He tries to emphasize the idea that technology and society go hand and hand, they are not something that can be separated.  The main point of the article is the idea of networking and how our social organization is based upon it.  Wealth and power today can be obtained by understand technologies and using them their advice.  This change creates a transformation of our social structure, as others enter while some are left out.

Furthermore, this change in network society is a global transformation.  He explains that globalization is another word for network society and makes the claim that “it excludes most of humankind, although all of humankind is affected by its logic…”  The point is that we don’t understand all the effects of the social network created by new technologies.  Buying devices and placing them in the workplace and schools is going to get us very far.  I agree that we have o understand how to use them, who is using them, and how it will affect our society.  Only then will we really be able to reap the benefits of the network.

Castells also goes into a long list of the problems that can be created by network technology.  For example, he says we suffering form things like “an overload of information, over surveillance, human cloning, environment hazards, ignorant children, hampering of work efficiency” and many more. I think he is trying to get across how powerful these network technologies are and that they do have the ability to change our culture drastically – its up to us if this change is positive or negative. 
I completely agree with Castells when he says there is a gap between knowledge about network technologies and public consciousness.  Before taking this course, by the way I looked at the Internet was much different than how I perceive it now.  I think its important to educate society about this culture and bypass all of the superficial understandings that most believe to be true.

Later on, Castells talks about the “network economy” and how our new economy is based on “organization of production, distribution, and management.”  All of these features can be dealt with through the use of network technologies.  Therefore, our economic structure is strongly impacted by the network.  While we still have “the firm” at the center of all attention, most of the real operational work actually comes from the technological network.  This network performs a tasks and keeps huge corporations afloat.

Overall, I enjoyed learning about how the Internet really transforms our society.  It has a lot to do with who is well off and who is hurting.  It impacts everything from our economy to our school systems and has the ability to do great good or severe harm.  This is why I think its important to understand technology in its full context, and not just the typical view of Apple laptops and Facebook applications.  There is so much for to the social network and technologies and this is something we need to understand.