Network Society By Manuel Castells

“The new society is made up of networks” (Castells, 695). Manuel Castells argues that we are living in a network society of the Information Age in his work, Toward a Sociology of the Network Society. This new society was not created accidentally by an accident. It was emerged at the end of twentieth century when five social changes (information technology revolution, globalization, cultural manifestation, the fall of nation state and the development of ecological consciousness) were interacted together. The network based social structure is fixable and self-evolving by searching for valuable additions. Based on these advantages, he claims that network can complete any programmed task with the help of information technology (695). For instance,
Part of the power is transferred from nation state to other actors. Castells argues that the power of nation state is rearranged in network society. Non-state actors are also involved in decision making process (694). Form the realist perspective, states are the key actors in international politics. States concern their own interest and safety when making choices. For example, the balance of power in Europe was maintained before World War I when the Triple Entente was formed by United Kingdom, France and Russia to against the Triple Alliance constitute by Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. However, the role of nation state is changing because cities are linked by multi-national companies (MNCs) and media. MNCs help to promote trade and financial transactions between cities. In addition, social movements in cities can spread around the world quickly through Internet. Therefore, Barney believes that the power of nation state is “now shared amongst a constellation of domestic and international public and private actors and institutions, ranging from private, transnational corporation to an increasing array of international policy making venues, including the IMF, the WTO, the G7, the European Union, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Mercosur, to name but a few”
Nowadays, terrorism has spread to spread around the world globally. International terrorist and criminal networks, such as Islamic State, are formed by groups and individuals who are sharing the same goal. Criminal gangs are stateless. They are not bound by fixed borders by shifting locations between states. Terrorists are hiding in different countries. They are linked closely in a same network for planning and launching terror attacks. The Paris Attack in 2015 reveals that they have the ability to plan and execute attacks in crowded places smoothly. States are difficult to sense and stop terror attacks within its boarder before carried out by