網絡社會的形構－Castells論流動空間

Abstract

本文試圖從Castells所論述的流動空間(space of flows)以形構吾人對網絡社會的想像。先爬梳資本主義再結構的過程，及其促使資訊化經濟(informational economy)的鉅型城市(megacity)的興起，而連結鉅型城市這些節點並建構出網絡社會，全然依賴於新的資訊技術典範滲透擴張遍及整個社會結構為其提供物質基礎，進而形成Castells所謂的流動空間。然而，沉浸於網絡社會的美好憧憬中，在流動空間的概念定義裡，可從中啟發吾人思索被排除於網絡之外國家與網絡內國家的數位落差、或同一區域的城鄉差距日異懸殊，以及網絡菁英擁有特殊權力得以操弄網絡之運作。

The article tried to re-construct Castells' idea of the space of flows in the network society. First, the process of capitalism and informational economy created the phenomenon of megacities. The connections of megacities, nodes and hubs of networking, are idependent on the ”Information-technology Paradigm” and provide infrastructural equipment. Then, the space of flows had formed. However, rather than holding a idealized view, we could find out that the digital divide between on-network and off-network nations, the difference between town and country, and the network elites controlling the power are emerging in the space of flows.