The rapid explosion of information technologies in recent years has contributed to a substantive change in the social dimensions of information-sharing, and is forcing us to revise substantially our old assumptions regarding the knowledge/power dynamic. In this article, we discuss a range of strategic information-management options available to individuals and institutions in the networked society, and contrast these ‘blueprints’ to Foucault’s well-known panopticon model. We organize these observations and analyses within a new conceptual framework based on the geometry of ‘information flux’, or the premise that the net flow of information between an individual and a network is as relevant to power dynamics as the nature or volume of that information. Based on this geometrical model, we aim to develop a lexicon for the design, description and critique of socio-technical systems.

No abstract

This past decade has witnessed an explosive rise in the controversial diagnosis of pediatric bipolar and the prescription of antipsychotics to children. Has the behavior of American children grown more irritable and defi ant, or has adult judgment of their behavior changed? How can we effectively study and explain these dramatic transformations in judgment and behavior? This article proposes a hypothesis that explains many of these developments and lays out a research program for a continuing investigation of these urgent questions. The article highlights the controversy around the diagnosis of pediatric bipolar and the emerging relations between the media of surveillance and structures of social control. It explores connections between the interactive media landscapes inhabited by youth, the behavioral expectations imposed on them in schools, and the role of psychoactive drugs in mediating this tension. Finally, the article details the intersections between media, communications, and madness studies and proposes a research agenda for studying this controversy using approaches drawn from these disciplines.

No abstract

No abstract