{"id":9849,"date":"2016-11-01T18:34:42","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T01:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dminlgp.com\/?p=9849"},"modified":"2016-11-01T18:34:42","modified_gmt":"2016-11-02T01:34:42","slug":"the-network-theory-timeless-time-and-placeless-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-network-theory-timeless-time-and-placeless-space\/","title":{"rendered":"The Network Theory: Timeless Time and Placeless Space"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Why do I care?” When The Theoretical Meets The Practical<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anthony Elliot discusses various social theories in his book Contemporary Social Theory<\/em>. \u00a0When thinking about social theories one could ask the question”Why do I care?”. Elliott provides a simple answer “The present for us is always filtered through certain social-theoretical assumptions, precepts and ideas\u2014however basic or elementary\u2014of the social realities all around us. Thus we cannot choose to live non-theoretically: social life, its regulations, orderings and structurings, is quite as much theoretical as practical<\/em>” (Elliott,11). Our “social life” is shaped by the world we live in and how we engage in that world is based on how we view it. Social theories\u00a0provide us with a different way to see the world and gain understanding as to how our connection as human beings is socially constructed. By no means will we fully agree with any one school of thought; however, if we look at them as puzzle pieces in a complex puzzle then we can piece them together\u00a0and see a more interconnected social picture.<\/p>\n

The Net\"Manuel_Castells\"<\/a>work Theory [1]<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the social theories that is posed in Elliot’s book is the Network theory. This theory is held by Dr. Manuel Castells, a sociologist and university professor. Castells work and research has been in the area of information society, networks, communication and globalization. \u00a0In 1996 Castells wrote a three\u00a0part series \u00a0entitled\u00a0 The Rise of the Network Society. <\/em>In volume one ,The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture,\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0he explains\u00a0how our society has changed as a result of the information age. He talks about how\u00a0the Information Technology Revolution has paved the way for “networking logic” and its ability to transform the way in which we communicate and connect in the world. \u00a0“Castells argues that communication, computers and information technology are at the centre of global production networks<\/em>” (Elliott,274). \u00a0“Networks”,in his theory,\u00a0are made up of what he calls “nodes”. “Nodes are thus shorthand for the uprooting of human action and social relations from local contexts and cultures when organizations become interwoven with information and communication technologies<\/em>” (Elliott, 276). \u00a0Because of the innovation of information and communication technologies, these networks are able to spread throughout the world and there by allowing for decentralization of locations. “Networks” enable fluid processes and structures. \u00a0For example, businesses no longer have to have linear relationships in there business processes like in the Industrial Revolution. \u00a0The IT Revolution allows for real time connection and enables fluidity of \u00a0time and space. \u00a0Therefore,\u00a0removing the rigidness of linear thinking about time and space creating what he\u00a0refers to as a “timeless time and placeless space”<\/em> (Elliot,275). The global financial market has transformed greatly since the industrial revolution. \u00a0With technological advancement it has become a virtual market where multiple transactions can take place within a matter of seconds. Financial information is now instant and decisions can be made quickly on whether to buy or sell.<\/p>\n

\"Print\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Machines Are Taking Over The World [2]<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is true that from the use of \u00a0hieroglyphics to mobile phones humans have quickly adapted to changes in technology and adopted new ways to communicate.\u00a0Despite the connectivity of the world through these networks, Castells\u00a0sees the global network as a possible societal threat as the financial system becomes more automated. “Global networks for him are now a medium of domination, and thus threaten to uproot the world from human control. ‘Humankind’s nightmare of seeing our machines taking control of our world,’ writes Castells (2000:56), ‘seems on the edge of becoming reality\u2014not in the form of robots that eliminate jobs or government computers that police our lives, but as an electronically based system of financial transactions<\/em>” (Elliott, 279).<\/p>\n

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Connecting The World\u00a0[3]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mortimer Adler wrote “Enlightenment is achieved only when, in addition to knowing what an author says, you know what he means and why he says it<\/em>“[4]. \u00a0In light of that, I am aware that there are many critics of Castells theory. I am not going to rehash all of them but I will provide my reflections on the practical application\u00a0of his theory. Although, Elliott says that Castells’ Network\u00a0theory is criticized for being exaggerated, I can see how Castells Network theory would apply in developed and highly technical societies. These societies have the technology and resources(nodes) to create the networks and benefit from the decentralization. Where this theory falls apart is in countries or areas where information technology is not available or accessible. In this case while communication and “networks” do exist \u00a0they are more linear \u00a0and are not driven by technological infrastructures and mediums. \u00a0Yes when he wrote this book back in 1996 who would have perceived how rapid the growth of technological advances would be 20 years later. The good news is that now these advances are helping to close that gap in third and fourth world countries. \"facebook-connectivity-lab\"<\/a>Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of\u00a0Facebook, stated that in an\u00a0“effort to connect the whole world …our goal with Internet.org<\/a> is to make affordable access to basic internet services available to every person in the world<\/em>”\u00a0[5]. As a result,\u00a0Facebook’s Connectivity Lab is working to build\u00a0\u00a0drones to provide internet to places where it does not currently exist. Imagine a world fully connected all across the globe. The world we live in is constantly evolving because of technology and soon we will be connected to the world in a way we have never been before. Leaders like Mark and his Connectivity Lab team truly embody the very principle of Ingenuity that Chris Lowney wrote about'”Leaders make themselves and others comfortable in a changing world. They eagerly explore new ideas, approaches, and cultures rather than shrink defensively from what lurks around life’s next corner. Anchored by nonnegotiable principles and values, they cultivate the “indifference” that allows them to adapt confidently<\/em> “[6].<\/p>\n

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    \n
  1. “Manuel Castells.” Digital image. Buscia Biografias. Accessed November 1, 2016. http:\/\/www.buscabiografias.com\/biografia\/verDetalle\/6488\/Manuel Castells.<\/li>\n
  2. Michael Marks, “Robots,” Digital image, One Man Creative Team, May 28, 2012, accessed November 1, 2016, https:\/\/onemancreativeteam.wordpress.com\/tag\/storyboard\/<\/li>\n
  3. Trewe, Marti. “Facebook Drone.” Digital image. The American Genius. March 28, 2014. Accessed November 1, 2016. https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/tech-news\/facebook-wants-bring-internet-everywhere-drones-lasers\/.<\/li>\n
  4. Adler, Mortimer Jerome, and Van Doren Charles Lincoln. How to Read a Book<\/i>. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014. Kindle. Location,262.<\/li>\n
  5. Zuckerberg, Mark. Facebook<\/i> (post), March 27, 2014. Accessed November 1, 2016. https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zuck\/posts\/10101322049893211.<\/li>\n
  6. Chris Lowney, Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-year-old Company That Changed the World<\/i> (Chicago: Loyola Press, 2003). Kindle. Location,242.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    “Why do I care?” When The Theoretical Meets The Practical Anthony Elliot discusses various social theories in his book Contemporary Social Theory. \u00a0When thinking about social theories one could ask the question”Why do I care?”. Elliott provides a simple answer “The present for us is always filtered through certain social-theoretical assumptions, precepts and ideas\u2014however basic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[238],"class_list":["post-9849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-elliott","cohort-lgp7"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/82"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9849\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}