Construction and Realistic Transformation of Power Relations in the Space of Flows:A Historical Materialist Review on Castells's Theory of Communication Power
With the innovation of global information technology,Manuel Castells has set the space of flows with the characteristics of virtuality,openness and globalization as a unique form of space in the network society,and on this premise,has systematically examined the construction of power relations in the space of flows and its transformation in reality.Driven by the reality,Castells believes that there exists the possibility of the power relations in the flowing space shifting from the elite to the public,the carrier of power shifting from the network public space to the urban pub-lic space,and the goal of power revolution shifting from the political reform to the social revolution.The conditions for such shifts in reality lie firstly in the rise of mass self-communication as a new vehicle of power relations in the space of flows,and more fundamentally in the fact that the masses,who have been suppressed by power,have pushed forward the development of network social movements by overcoming their fears and have the potential to rebuild the public space.The theoretical conception of historical materialism constructed by Castells,which takes power relations in the flowing space as the object of study,has injected intellectual vitality into such important issues as political reform,social revolution,human liberation,and the construction of a new international order in the digital age.
space of flowspower relationsmass self-communicationdigital agenetwork social movementshistorical materialism
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