Communication Power
Review of Manuel Castells (2009), Communication Power.
Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. (571 p.) ISBN 978-0-19-956-701-1
To appear in Communications, The European
Journal of Communication (2010)
The book Communication Power can be seen as a successor of Volume II of Castells’ major triology about the Information Age, called The Power of Identity (1997). In his new book Castells focuses on the role of communication networks in power-making in society, with an emphasis on political power making. He defines power as ‘the relational capacity that enables a social actor to influence asymmetrically the decisions of other social actor(s) in ways that favour the empowered actor’s will, interest and values’ (p. 10). Power is not an attribute of individuals and groups but a relationship. This definition clearly is appropriate for networks and the network society, the main topics of this book.
Castells’ main claims are that 1) communication networks are central to the implementation of power-making of any network, such as corporate, financial, cultural-industrial, technology or political networks and 2) that the programming of single networks and switching of different networks are the fundamental sources of power. He even states that network programmers
(media companies, public institutions, publishers, editors, technicians) and switchers –such as
Rupert Murdoch who links media, cultural, political and financial networks- are the holders of power in the network society (p. 429). The example of Murdoch should not be misunderstood.
According to Castells programmers and switchers are not individuals; they are network positions embodied by social actors. ‘Murdoch is a node, albeit a key node’ (idem).
Forms of power in networks
Castells distinguishes four forms of power in networks. Unfortunately, he has given them labels that are rather confusing:
1) Networking power is the power over who and what is included in the network.
Programmers have
Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. (571 p.) ISBN 978-0-19-956-701-1
To appear in Communications, The European
Journal of Communication (2010)
The book Communication Power can be seen as a successor of Volume II of Castells’ major triology about the Information Age, called The Power of Identity (1997). In his new book Castells focuses on the role of communication networks in power-making in society, with an emphasis on political power making. He defines power as ‘the relational capacity that enables a social actor to influence asymmetrically the decisions of other social actor(s) in ways that favour the empowered actor’s will, interest and values’ (p. 10). Power is not an attribute of individuals and groups but a relationship. This definition clearly is appropriate for networks and the network society, the main topics of this book.
Castells’ main claims are that 1) communication networks are central to the implementation of power-making of any network, such as corporate, financial, cultural-industrial, technology or political networks and 2) that the programming of single networks and switching of different networks are the fundamental sources of power. He even states that network programmers
(media companies, public institutions, publishers, editors, technicians) and switchers –such as
Rupert Murdoch who links media, cultural, political and financial networks- are the holders of power in the network society (p. 429). The example of Murdoch should not be misunderstood.
According to Castells programmers and switchers are not individuals; they are network positions embodied by social actors. ‘Murdoch is a node, albeit a key node’ (idem).
Forms of power in networks
Castells distinguishes four forms of power in networks. Unfortunately, he has given them labels that are rather confusing:
1) Networking power is the power over who and what is included in the network.
Programmers have