Thinker
Manuel Castells
Who
Spanish-Catalan sociologist. Arguably the most cited social scientist of the information age.
Core Idea
Power in the network society operates through control of communication networks. Whoever controls the switches of the network controls power. Counter-power works by reprogramming the network.
Key Works
- The Network Society trilogy (1996–1998)
- Communication Power (2009)
- Networks of Outrage and Hope (2012)
Relevance
His analysis of how communication networks are power infrastructure is the systemic theory behind your practice. Specifically: Networks of Outrage and Hope on how social movements use digital networks in MENA (Arab Spring, Iranian Green Movement) is directly applicable to the work you've done and the clients you serve.
Connected To
- Marshall McLuhan — medium is message → the network is the message
- Antonio Gramsci — counter-power as reprogramming the network = counter-hegemony in network form
- Zeynep Tufekci — her movements work is applied Castells in the social media era
- Kamal Soleimani — MENA national movements as network power contests
