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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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:
• Users lose some control over their data.
• Privacy and security loss?
• Risks of professional hackers – more data to steal.

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.

Back to The Networked Society Lecture Notes

Unless otherwise noted, all pages within the web site http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/ ©2015 by Robert O. Keel.
Click here to Report Copyright Problems