anne galloway [purse lip square jaw]
In The Guardian, William Mitchell discusses his new book and suggests "we should no longer think of ourselves as 'fixed, discrete individuals', but as nodes in a network. 'I am part of the networks and the networks are part of me. I am visible to Google. I link, therefore I am'." (Wow, he forgot to say "We are Borg!")
And guess what nodes - er, people - get to do? Buy more stuff. Guess what cities are good for? Consumption.
The conceptual ideas about networks are of interest. The idea that humanity can simply be reduced to nodes is insulting. Beyond branding anyone?
Posted by Paul Goodison at November 7, 2003 11:17 PM | TrackBackI share your anxiety about social discoveries being used just to sell stuff. But I wonder if the comments could be interpreted more positively... that we need to emphasises our interdependence and not get lost in our individuality. The "Bowling Alone" thesis is that we have become so individuated that the satsifactions of being in community are lost.
Also, I know that who I am changes with context, I do become a slightly different person with different people. Perhaps this argument is about the importance of building quality relationships... not just a new sales ploy...
Posted by: John Moore at November 10, 2003 09:11 PMJohn, when you put it that way it makes a lot more sense. I think that the emotion with which you read articles can also cloud your judgement as to what they are saying, or the possibilities they suggest.
Perhaps that is the same with relationships? Building quality relationships isn't about building huge numbers of links, but rather about the quality of the links or network you develop.
I think the point is that I don't think Humans are passive nodes, or hubs (using the technology analogy) but are rather conscious of the actions they undertake and while frames by the structure are not completely determined by it (can't think of a technology analogy that works).
Posted by: Paul Goodison at November 11, 2003 10:27 AM