March 1, 2007
An article by Manual Castells on communication, power and counterpower in the networked society. It argues that the media have become the social space where power is decided, and that with the rise of a new form of communication, mass self-communication over the Internet and wireless communication networks, insurgent politics and social movements are able to intervene more decisively in the new communication space.
Castells says:
So, in sum: the media are not the holders of power, but they constitute by and large the space where power is decided. In our society, politics is dependent on media politics. The language of media has its rules. It is largely built around images, not necessarily visual, but images. The most powerful message is a simple message attached to an image. The simplest message in politics is a human face. Media politics leads to the personalization of politics around leaders that can be adequately sold in the political market. This should not be trivialized as the color of the tie or the looks of a face. It is the symbolic embodiment of a message of trust around a person, around the character of the person, and then in terms of the image projection of this character.
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