The Art of Controlling Digital Civilization: Castells and Sassen’s Theoretical Analysis of Global Hyper-Centralization and Social Fragmentation
According to Castells, “networks” are essentially a form of organization that is not new. On the one hand, networks facilitate organizations’ adaptation and flexibility to changing environments. However, on the other hand, the nature of networks complicates coordination and resource optimization functions for specific purposes in managing environmental complexity. However, Castells stated that since the advent of information technology, networks have remained flexible and thus more adaptive to environmental changes. At the same time, networks supported by information technology enable coordination and management of complexity within a system of reciprocal interactions and communication patterns from anywhere and at any time.
These contemporary network structures no longer rely on the physical presence of participants, but rather on the constant flow of data via fiber-optic cables and satellite signals. Transnational corporations, political institutions, and even social movements are now adopting this decentralized model to expand their operational reach across the globe. As a result, rigid traditional bureaucratic hierarchies are slowly collapsing, replaced by interconnected, horizontal nodes that can be formed and dissolved within seconds.
This shift has given rise to what Castells calls a network society , where network logic permeates all aspects of production, experience, power, and culture. In this new social structure, those connected to the network will gain extraordinary accumulation of power and wealth, while those disconnected or excluded from the network will be relegated to the margins of history. This digital polarization has become a new dividing line defining class inequality in the modern age.
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