Communication

Through my study of Globalization and Communication during the program I learned a great deal about globalization of culture and commerce over the course of human history and how that shapes modern decision making and commercial development.

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Research: Network Society and Coloniality

I was introduced to the work on network society by Manuel Castells, and that is the topic I chose for my research because of the integration between human communication networks and technology. I chose to research the ways the emerging network society is intersecting with the historic underlying foundation of coloniality to create a new virtual colonial system in the spheres of global communication and technology.

The format for this research was a formal paper. I explored literature related to the topic, deepening my understanding of the subject and broadening my culture perspective.

I believe that understanding these structures is critical in the modern corporate and technical landscape. As new technologies develop and are implemented, the influences of historic systems on information flows and the unevenness of access to infrastructures of communication and technology must be identified and addressed.

LINK to research paper: The Intersection of the Network Society and Coloniality and the Emergence of a Virtual Colonial System

Abstract

Manuel Castells explains the emergence of a new kind of social organization in the late 20th century organized around networks: “networks constitute the new social morphology of our societies, and the diffusion of networking logic substantially modifies the operation and outcomes in processes of production, experience, power and culture,” (Castells, p.500, 2010).

He argues that this networking logic supersedes the pre-existing social network structures, that “the power of flows takes precedence over the flows of power,” (p. 500). In this paper I discuss how this new social structure incorporates coloniality and emerges as a new, virtual colonial system spanning the globe, exploring the question of how the network society reinforces historic colonial structures of power and control in the 21st century by perpetrating inequality and exploitation.

The intersection of the network society and coloniality can be observed through the presence of the power structure of digital colonialism and its impact on subaltern groups, through the dominance of Western thought and Eurocentrism in digital communication, who has a voice in the digital world and who controls the global communication infrastructure.

Another colonial aspect of this intersection is labor exploitation. The new, technology-based network society requires low-cost “slave labor” to produce its informational “goods,” and this work is being done in countries and by communities with little to no control over their working conditions or abuse they are subjected to. Western firms set up in these countries, promoting their presence as being beneficial, providing jobs, education, and access to modern technology, but the reality is very different. There is uneven compensation for these workers, limited or no growth/leadership opportunities for them within their firms, there is higher environmental costs because often countries aren’t protected by the same regulations Global North countries have, and higher physical risks to the worker due to lower standards for workplace safety and cultural and institutional unrealistic expectations of performance which can lead to loss of life. The jobs are exported, but the physical and mental protections for workers are not.

This intersection of technologic advancement and social redesign and the old social structures still informed by coloniality produce the foundation and opportunity for a new, digital colonialism to emerge. This system shares the characteristics of traditional colonialism, but in the virtual world of information access: political control, economic exploitation through the extraction of wealth and labor, cultural domination, territorial expansion, racial hierarchies, ideological justification and knowledge control.

I also explore the role of the consumer and Global North “thought” workers in this system. Global North professionals who are part of the workforce also, but in different roles and with or no control over corporate decisions or mandates. They are not decision makers, nor are they subject to the same working conditions as those in subaltern communities, but they are also powerless to change the system. The final element of this new virtual colonialism is the role of the consumer. This system has come about in large part because of capitalism and consumer-driven perspectives in corporations. The development of technology, social media platforms, virtual goods and services made possible by the cheap labor of Global South people has been driven by capitalism. All people involved in the system participate as consumers to varying degrees. Consumers of information and consumers of goods and experiences are the foundation of the network society, and the advent of new technologies has allowed that consumer base to become global, creating a voracious need to produce more value for less cost at all levels.

I use the case study of Kenyan workers who sued their employer Sama, a contractor for Meta for the working conditions they were made to endure as moderators for Facebook to examine the problem and illustrate my discussion. This was brought to global audiences through the TIME Magazine article “Inside Facebook’s African Sweatshop” in 2022. 

Sources

Castells, M. (2010). The rise of the network society (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. Perrigo, B. (2022, February 14). Inside Facebook’s African sweatshop. TIME.