Review: The Characteristics of Network Society

The Characteristics of Network Society

The Characteristics of Network Society is an electronic paper written as a wiki that explores the panorama of networks and its main consequences on our society. By touching 5 main relevant points, it pans through economics of networks, culture, politics and law it represents a good solid review of the book "The Wealth of Networks" of Yochai Benkler.
The first part talks about the peer production and the necessary elements needed in order to make it successful and some examples on how can peer production be successful. consequently the first part analizes some of the economical consequences, economical efficency and aspects of peer production.
Another chapter treated in the wiki is about individual and cultural freedom in network society.In this section the concept of freedom is treated in relation with the rise of new technologies and new possibilities offered by networks that are asking for a change in laws.
A different thing is represented by political laws. The following chapter explains how and why Political freedom has different needs and is more complicated to be treated.
The following part treats of justice and social ties in the networking society. Although the two subjects seem very distant one to the other, the page is well built.
The last part of the wiki describes what the policies of freedom are in this moment. The chapter makes a dinstinction between phisical, logical (the type of messages vehiculated through machines) and content layer (the content communicated between humans but only through electronical devices)





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