On Utopias and Dystopias: Toward an Understanding of the Discourse Surrounding the Internet

Abstract

It is clear that the Internet has the capacity to change how individuals interact with others as well as increase access to information. Whether either one of these factors affects the social landscape has yet to be determined. This fact has not kept many from anticipating the effects of the technology on society. In this paper, we contextualize some of the main issues of discussion regarding the Internet, describing these positions in terms of utopian and dystopian perspectives. By resurrecting William Ogburn's theory of the cultural lag (1964), we present a framework for understanding the extreme responses to the technology. The lag suggests that the effects of a technology will not be apparent to social actors for some time after it is introduced to a society. As such, much of the discourse concerning the Internet is ideologically charged, filled as much with the hopes and fears of individual authors as with the reality of the medium's effects.

Cultured Technology: The Internet and Religious Fundamentalism

“…Conversely, cyberspace is perceived as a reflection of contemporary rationale and scientific modernity. For many observers, the virtual space symbolizes individual freedom, inclusiveness, socioeconomic mobility, egalitarianism, and even a chaotic space of infinite, multifaceted, interactions among individuals and groups (Castells, 2000, , DiMaggio et al, 2001, , Kling, 2000, , Fisher and Wright, 2001). Religious fundamentalists apparently view modernity as a heretic concept and they can be regarded as a reaction to modernity (Marty andAppleby, 2004, , Marty andAppleby, 1991).…”

Representation of the Snowden Scandal in the Estonian Media: The Construction of Threats and Fear

“…radical environmentalists, anti-globalization movement, anarcho-primitivism, etc.). This may also be the reason why there is not much academic research concentrating on that topic (see Fisher & Wright 2001;Fuchs 2013;Sandywell 2006). Usually, the dystopian visions of society seem to re-articulate the gloomy scenarios presented in William Gibson's novel Neuromancer (1984).…”

“…Usually, the dystopian visions of society seem to re-articulate the gloomy scenarios presented in William Gibson's novel Neuromancer (1984). Namely, they describe a future world where the triumph of computers has increased the inequality between big corporations / IT-experts and ordinary people, where private information has become an oxymoron, and where people have been alienated from basic human values and from face-to-face communication (Bell 2001: 22;Dodge & Kitchin 2001: 230;Fisher & Wright 2001;Sandywell 2006: 42). The techno-dystopian discourse also relies on tropes of surveillance society; for example, the idea of global authoritarian control (NWO 14 ), Big Brother (see Sandywell 2006: 48), and of masses of brainwashed citizens.…”

Consumer Life and User Generated Content in the Age of Social Media

“…One can notice here the negative aspect of consumer behavior, which can harm the company, the employer, and other consumers. These effects are related to a dystopian view of the technological society, claiming that "technology fragments society and isolates people, resulting in loss of strong bonds among consumers" (Fisher & Wright, 2001). The culture of availability develops the habit of constantly checking digital devices, so consumers find it unpleasant to be disconnected.…”