Week 7 – Second segment on historical change

What are the main arguments in the two readings for this week? What version of historical change do you believe in and why?

In the spirit of sociological study, Castell’s piece emphasized the discipline’s need to quantify the social change arising in the Information Age. Castell’s argument towards post-modernism stems from the networked nature of the information age, the dynamic structure composed of various networks. He uses the term network enterprise to emphasize the interconnectedness of today’s communication system, and thus creating an avenue for various parties to create a platform around which to organize their interests. This creates the contemporary society, the new society that is simultaneously flexible and adaptable, yet inefficient in creating symbolic dominant control and standardized mass production. This new society is also not static given that networks are used to instantaneously diversify social structures in an interactive system, including the global market and other pools of labour.

Unlike Castell’s focus on the structure of networks, Fraiberg’s piece focuses on the idea of the body as representing the complexities of the information age. Fraiberg focuses on the conservative condemnation of AIDS as polluting society due to the deviant nature conservative interests attach to it. She references very strongly Haraway’s idea of the cyborg as “potent fusions balanced with dangerous possibilities.” In doing so she actively critiques traditional binaries of power that disapprovingly exclude the multitude of ways individuals in society define themselves (specifically sexual orientation among other classifiers including religion and gender), while at the same time addressing the dangers of having a decentralized state of authority. The body of the information society therefore, should be recognized as an avenue of releasing a sense of agency.

I prefer Castell’s perspective of historical change. Fraiberg’s adamant reference to the cyborg appears too simplistic and to my view portrays the information age as highly disadvantageous and replete with networks of ‘disease’ that is damaging to society as a whole. Furthermore, not everyone has the opportunity to represent their interests given the prevalence of the digital divide. Castell’s argument which emphasizes the paradigms of academia and the need for quantifiable measures to understand the new society appears more logical, coherent and less radical in my mind.

Sentence to translate: The Winter Olympics has energized Canadian nationalism.

English to Spanish using google translate: Los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno ha energizado el nacionalismo canadiense

Spanish to English using google translate: The Winter Olympics has energized Canadian nationalism.