Yochai Benkler devoted his work “The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom” to issues of the technologies, economy, and society with the emergence of the internet. In the introductory part of the book, the author discusses his main theses concerning the link between the development of networks and shifts in the economy and society. Primarily, Benkler’s view is optimistic regarding the possibilities of the networked information society. Additionally, he underlines that his work may not represent the picture of societal changes after the internet’s arrival since he keeps to one methodology throughout the paper. This methodology is derived from liberal political views and technological determinism.
The first valuable point that Benkler makes in the chapter is about the emergence of the networked information economy and the new chances that it provides to society. The author argues that a new type of economy is rising that is based on the information and cultural products instead of material goods. Although the information sector existed earlier, it largely depended on the government or other external funding. Nowadays, according to the author, the same sector is predominantly decentralized and nonproprietary. Such a factor suggests an increased level of cooperation between the individuals using the internet.
Due to this, open encyclopedias and free software exist only based on multiple people’s efforts to create and support it (Benkler, 2007). Therefore, one of the main thoughts of the book author concerns the incredible nature of the internet that allows people to participate in a more liberal economy.
The second argument pursued by the author is that of the societies with rising democratic abilities through internet access. Benkler praises the opportunity for individual freedom that could be derived from the non-profit platforms on the internet allowing their customers to express themselves freely. The author underlines that “individuals become… more engaged observers of social spaces that could potentially become subjects for political conversation,… more engaged participants in the debates about their observations” (Benkler, 2007, p. 11). The other outcome of the liberalization through the internet is the enhanced autonomy of its users. It is easier to communicate with people interested in the same ideas and projects and to participate in the economy in this manner (Benkler, 2007). Thus, the author believes in bright alternatives for the traditional market and media sphere via newly emerged networks.
Some arguments of the author are substantial and could be seen in the reality of the internet today. As such, the shift between the industrial and information economies can truly be seen nowadays since multiple services are provided exclusively on the internet. Furthermore, the existence of independent production through the help of information technologies is proven by the rapid development of the indie games industry.
Namely, independent developers can create video games and sell them without much dependence on publishers or any material resources except for software (Perks et al., 2019). Yet, the point where the political view of an individual receives more probability to be diverse does not correlate with the events that dominate modern society. For example, the current cancel culture phenomenon limits the abilities of the individuals who do not comply with the popular agenda to discuss their views (Bouvier, 2020). To conclude, the chapter is right in some of its prophecies, yet it seems outdated in the terms of social interaction with the internet.
References
Benkler, Y. (2007). The wealth of networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom. Yale UP.
Bouvier, G. (2020). Racist call-outs and cancel culture on Twitter: The limitations of the platform’s ability to define issues of social justice. Discourse, Context & Media, 38, 1–11. Web.
Perks, M. E., Parker, F., Whitson, J. R., Simon, B., Lavenir, G., Yolgörmez, C., Browne, P., & Schram, B. (2019). Autonomy, integration, and the work of cultural intermediation in indie games. Media Industries Journal, 6(2), 18–38. Web.