Castells, Manuel (2012). Networks of outrage and hope - social movements in the Internet age.

Abstract

Recent efforts to realize change of different social movements are analyzed, based on the grounded theory of power that Castells presented in his former book, titled Communication Power (2009). According to Castells, power relationships are constitutive of society because those who have power construct institutions of society according to their values and interests. Wherever there is power, Castells argues, there is also counterpower. The actual configuration of the state and other institutions that regulate people's lives depends on this constant interaction between power and counterpower. Power may be exercised by means of coercion, but more commonly and effectively by the construction of meanings in people's minds, through different mechanisms of symbolic manipulation. Communication is the process of sharing meaning through the exchange and negotiation of information. Therefore the availability of communication technologies, and especially social media and the Internet, is of utmost importance in processes of empowerment. Throughout the book, Castells does not leave any opportunity unused to emphasize that the Internet has been decisive for actual efforts to realize change, as used by the social movements studied.