The Network Society
Notes from Van Dijk. 2012. The Network Society, 3rd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 3 – Technology
See also Chapter 1: The Nature of Technology from Volti, Rudi. 2014. Society and Technological Change. 7th edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Technical Foundations of the Networked Society
- Micro-electronics:
- Invention of integrated semiconductor with exponentially increasing capacity.
- Computerization of telephone networks and decentralization of computer processing.
- Uniform language for telecommunications, data communications, and mass communications.
- Digitization:
- The binding structure for all new media networks in tele-, data, and mass communications.
- Signals are broken down into bits, made up of 1s and 0s.
- More accurate: fewer faults and replication mistakes.
- Greater selection of sources because content is framed in the same language.
- Increased stimuli richness as all data types (text, sound, video, and numerical data) can be added in the same multimedia source.
- Store and forward principle:
- The use of electronic memories and storage in databases.
- The basis of all email use, retrieval of web pages on the Internet, use of computer software, and interactions with audiovisual multimedia programs.
- Potential threat to protecting privacy as all data is registered and stored.
- Layered organization of networks:
- The distinction between hardware, software, and applications.
- There are 7 open systems interconnection (OSI) network layers.
- The infrastructure layers include:
- Physical layer – includes rules for the hardware of computer centers, cables, terminal equipment, and USB and Bluetooth connectors.
- Data link layer – the physical addressing between multiple devices.
- The software code layers include:
- Network layer – organizes the path of messages and addresses data between different networks.
- Transport layer – organizes the transmission of messages of data between end users.
- Session layer – controls dialogues between different computers or hosts.
- Presentation layer – formats and encrypts data of applications using a different data language in order to be readable across networks.
- The content layer – enables the content of network applications and the synchronization of network communications.
- This layer does not contain the software of applications themselves.
- New Connections:
- Increased capacity by cable and air.
- Copper wire and coaxial cables replaced by fiber optic cables.
- Evolution from low (radio) and medium (television) to high frequencies for satellite broadcasting.
- Helped create a global system of telecommunications, computer networks, and broadcasting.
Current Technical Trends: expanding the scale and scope of networking
- Convergence of information and communication networks:
- For the first time in history, there is a single communications infrastructure linking all activities of society.
- Gradual integration of 3 types of communication.
- Telecommunication (telephone).
- Data communication (computer).
- Mass communication (television and radio).
- Telecommunication converged with data communication as telephony digitized in the form of the computer language of bits and bytes.
- Leads to the emergence of fax, email, and instant messaging.
- Later, voice over IP.
- Telecommunication converged with mass communication with digitization of telephone networks and increased bandwidth.
- Enabled exchange of text messages and voicemail replaces the answering machine.
- The next step was adding images and videos and video conferencing.
- The most recent step was the creation of social media (social networking sites, blogs, Twitter).
- Data communication converged with mass communication with introduction of multimedia PC and broadband computer networks.
- CD-Rom ad DVD containing videos and games.
- Greater capacity of internet connections enabled Internet television (regular TV on internet) and Web-TV (TV on internet only).
- Podcasting.
- The convergence of all three communications leads to a single destination: broadband or high-speed internet.
- Will not make all other forms of media obsolete.
- Will continue combining high-speed networks with a multitude of terminal devices with multimedia capacities.
- Miniaturization:
- New media will become portable and available everywhere.
- Moore’s Law - every 18 months, the processing capacity of a chip doubles.
- May be slowing down or coming to an end?
- Integration of nanotechnology may lead to smaller computers than are possible with electronic chips.
- May be integrated everywhere, including the human body and brain.
- Biotechnology.
- Embedded technology:
- Enabled by miniaturization.
- Ubiquitous computing – people and their physical objects will use information processing and transmitting technologies almost everywhere.
- Grander scale of networking – people are connected with people and objects.
- Mobile and wireless technology:
- Transition from ICT (fixed devices) to mobile technology.
- Expansion of geographical reach (especially in rural areas and “developing” countries).
- Extends use from home and work to transport and leisure.
- Limitations:
- Slower connections when compared to high-speed cable.
- Finite amount of frequencies in the air.
- Keeping the increasing number of atmospheric connections apart.
- Broadband technology:
- Gilder’s Law – bandwidth grows three times faster than computer power, doubling every 6 months.
- Internet and computer usage have become embedded in everyday life.
- “Always On” – less worry about the cost of connection.
- Cloud computing:
- Contrast to previous four trends, cloud computing centralizes computer processing in “clouds” of central servers containing most software used and all data stored.
- More efficient because independently working computers use only a tiny part of their capacity.
- May be energy saving.
- Data can be safely and professionally stored.
- Limitations:
Networked Chapter 2: The Social Network Revolution
Networked Chapter 3: The Internet Revolution
Chapter 1: The Nature of Technology from Volti, Rudi. 2014. Society and Technological Change. 7th edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
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