Outline of a multilevel approach of the network society

Social and media networks, the Internet in particular, increasingly link interpersonal, organizational and mass communication. It is argued that this gives a cause for an interdisciplinary and multilevel approach of the network society. This will have to link traditional micro- and meso-level research of social and communication ties (Rogers, Granovetter a.o.) to the macro-level research of the network society at large (Castells a.o.).\ud Systems theory linked to a theory of communicative action establishes a potential basis for a multilevel theory. The systems theory described uses elements of a biologically inspired analysis of networks as complex adaptive systems and the mathematically inspired theory of random and scale-free networks recently elaborated by Barabási, Strogatz and Watts. The outline of the multilevel theory is summarized in ten statements about changing relationships in the network society: an information society with structures and modes of organization primarily shaped by social and media networks. \ud In the last section an inventory is made of the theoretical and methodological changes communication science will have to make to develop a general theory of the information and the network society in the perspective of communication

Manuel Castells and Informationalism

Understanding how the social appropriation of information and communication technologies came to define the contemporary period is critical for researchers and practitioners of innovation, business and management. This paper explores how the work of Manuel Castells as a social theorist provides the intellectual tools and the encompassing lenses to enable the study and navigate the process of structural transformation in which our lives have been engulfed from the 1970s onwards. Castells’ procedure of considering technology, social usages and structural history leads him to a key conceptual result: the introduction of the “Network Society” concept. His ideas have most notably been applied to the field of communications studies, which he analyses through the prism of power. However, these insights are not containable in one single discipline as the implications of informationalism stretch in a variety of directions, making other dimensions of society amenable to the network perspective. Organisational studies are one topic in which this line of enquiry may fruitfully be pursued.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Book review: networks of outrage and hope: social movements in the internet age by Manuel Castells

In the second edition of Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age, sociologist Manuel Castells conceptualises the relationship between social movements and the internet age through the notion of ‘the networked social movement’. While the book utilises an admirable empirical dataset and shows deep understanding of the fluidity of contemporary social movements, Helton Levy wonders if Castells’s optimistic vision neglects lingering issues, including state surveillance and the digital divide

Social Responsibility Networks (SRN): The Role of the International Civil Society in Redressing the Negative Effects of Globalization at the Local Level

There is both theoretical and empirical evidence which indicates that the processes of globalization have intensified the onset of social exclusion and environmental problems. Globalized processes may also exacerbate inequalities that, in order to be readdressed, require transnational, transparent, accountable and participative governance systems, with an active and recognised contribution by the local community in the amelioration of these problems. This paper focuses on transnational participation of civil society actors as well as private corporations and state agencies, which together provide a platform for the development of a broader scope for corporate social responsibility (CSR).Evidencias, tanto teóricas como empíricas, indican que la globalización de la economía ha intensificado la exclusión social, los problemas medio ambientales y ha exacerbado desigualdades en materia social y laboral. Para revertir estas situaciones se requiere de sistemas transnacionales de gobernabilidad legítimos y transparentes, que cuenten con la participación activa y reconocida de los trabajadores. Este documento se basa en una investigación empírica en la cual se presenta un modelo de participación transnacional de los actores de la sociedad civil (incluyendo los sindicatos y otras organizaciones de trabajadores), así como también las corporaciones privadas y las agencias gubernamentales. De esta manera se desarrolla una plataforma que opera como un sistema de responsabilidad social cuyo alcance sobrepasa a la responsabilidad social empresarial (RSE)

The Effects of Information And Communication Technology In Hungarian Economic Sectors

As the author could not find a reassuring mathematical and statistical method in the literature for studying the effect of information communication technology on enterprises, the author suggested a new research and analysis method that he also used to study the Hungarian economic sectors. After a brief introduction to the theoretical background of the Information Age, the author examines the question of what factors have an effect on their net income is essential for enterprises. First, the potential indicators related to economic sectors were studied, then the author compared those indicators to the net income of the surveyed enterprises. The data resulting from the comparison showed that the growing penetration of electronic marketplaces contributed to the change of the net income of enterprises in various economic sectors. Among all the potential indicators, only the indicator of electronic marketplaces has a direct influence on the net income of enterprises. It was practical to determine two clusters based on the potential indicators