Manuel Castells's trilogy the information age: economy, society, and culture

摘要

In the 20 years that have passed since the publication of the first book in Manuel Castells's monumental trilogy on the information age, the network society that he conceptualized back then has transformed our lives in ways that are both exhilarating and bewildering. We are lucky, then, to be able to refer to these books written in the early years of the Internet's commercialization, and each updated twice since then to capture more recent trends such as the rise of social media and the global financial crisis, as a guide to our understanding of the radical changes taking place around us. Particularly useful for those looking for enlightenment are Castells's analyses of traditional sociological concerns like identity, the evolution of the modern state, and the changing nature of work, as well as the relationship between time and space, all of which thus will be the main focus of this review.