Book Review: Manuel Castells, Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age
| Published date | 01 February 2017 |
| Date | 01 February 2017 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929916666788 |
| Author | Bertie Vidgen |
| Subject Matter | Book ReviewsGeneral Politics |
122 Political Studies Review 15 (1)
Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social
Movements in the Internet Age by Manuel
Castells. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2015. 314pp.,
£12.99 (p/b), ISBN 9780745695761
This comparatively short book (now in its
second edition) by renowned cyber-theorist
Manuel Castells aims to do three things: criti-
cally evaluate the ‘networked’ social move-
ments that emerged post-2010, explore the
role of the Internet in those movements and
give an overview of Castells’ prodigious the-
ory of network power and communication.
All three aims are successfully realised
through Castells’ brief yet insightful analysis.
The bulk of the book, comprising chapters
1–5, is devoted to case studies of social move-
ments in the Arab world, Europe and the
Americas. Chapters 6 and 7 identify the most
salient common features across the cases and
provide greater theoretical explanation.
Chapter 8 concludes by reflecting on how net-
worked social movements have thus far influ-
enced governmental politics.
Networked social movements are move-
ments ‘inspired by hope and powered by the
internet’ (p. 161). Although they emerge partly
in response to ‘objective’ problems (such as
police brutality, state corruption or perceived
democratic deficits), they are primarily the
product of ‘the explosive coincidence of hope
and outrage’ (p. 102). For Castells, networked
social movements (1) are a distinctive form of
mass political action and (2) have and will
cause meaningful political change. Castells
argues that the Internet is a communicative tool
that complements rather than supersedes ‘real
world’ activity. For him, the physical occupa-
tion of city squares and municipal buildings is
enhanced by actions in cyberspace (in particu-
lar, on social media), where messages can be
created, disseminated and received at a pace
and breadth not possible offline.
However, although compelling, at times this
argument seems like a naïve paean to network
connectivity, with Castells largely ignoring the
potentially harmful uses of network organising
(e.g. its adoption by radical right groups or
ISIS). Thus, we are told that ‘the technology of
the internet embodies the culture of freedom’
(p. 259) – a view which is easily contradicted
by the many different uses the Internet has been
put to. Elsewhere, Castells pays scant attention
to the inchoate nature of many networked
movements. He appears to expect a sympa-
thetic audience, and a less well disposed reader
may find that his unwavering support for ‘the
People’ against the repression of the State is
detrimental to the text’s credibility and rigour.
Notwithstanding the criticisms noted
above, this is a well-argued and lively book
that will be of great interest to anyone looking
for an introduction to either post-2010 social
movements or Castells’ work.
Bertie Vidgen
(University of Oxford)
© The Author(s) 2016
Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1478929916666788
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Can the Media Serve Democracy? Essays
in Honour of Jay G Blumler by Stephen
Coleman, Giles Moss and Katy Parry (eds).
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. 251pp.,
£60.00 (h/b), ISBN 9781137467911
Can the media serve democracy? These
‘Essays in Honour of Jay G Blumler’ edited by
Coleman, Moss and Parry are noteworthy
because they relate to these specific times
when the debate between fascist and demo-
cratic regimes is currently at its height. The
book is a compilation of essays by learned
academics and scholars which focus on
the role of individuals as informed and active
citizens who should be aware of the local as
well as global events, who should collect valid
information before arriving at a conclusion and
who should play a crucial role in changing the
political discourse by making their voices
heard through the various media channels.
The book suggests that the media must not
treat their readers as mere consumers but must
also enter into a positive relationship with them
as citizens. Rather than just providing an opin-
ion, the media must engage the audience. The
job of the media is to provide the space where
public opinion must be encouraged, not to
deliver a judgement to the audience. Do the
media have the freedom to say what they do or
do not say? Do we have a free press or does it
follow regulations? If it does, where do these
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