Expert: Actually, if you can go everywhere you’re going to see a lot of people downloading to the Internet and the Web site everything they want. But I think . . . eh . . . it is much better for development and . . . eh . . . to inform people what they want and to get the easy way and so faster if they are looking for.
Anchor: It does really seem to be the way the music industry’s progressing now, that people want to go onto the website and download music.
Expert: Exactly. You can go everywhere on the cyber cafe, and you can check . . . you can go easy. It is going to be an easy way for everyone to get something to the Internet.
Anchor: Guy Kewney, thanks very much indeed. (BBC 2006a)
That these few blurbs by an expert on your average morning newscast do not sound particularity outrageous, surprising, or radical is precisely the punch line of this little anecdote: due to a “casting” mishap, the interviewee was not in fact Guy Kewney the expert, but Guy Goma, an immigrant from Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, who arrived to the BBC building to be interviewed for the position of “Data Support Cleanser” in the IT department and was called in to the morning show studio by mistake. In an apology broadcasted later by the BBC, the anchor expressed what was probably a common sentiment among viewers, saying that “to his [Guy Goma’s] credit, as the interview continued he had a good stab at giving some answers” (BBC 2006b). That Guy Goma could rather easily pass as an expert on contemporary digital culture is a testament (anecdotal nonetheless) to how ubiquitous and hegemonic the discourse on network technology has become. His answers sounded reasonable because they complied with the hegemonic discourse on network technology (would any of us give different answers?). Guy Goma said what we already know; he had spoken the discourse on contemporary network technology, or the digital discourse.
TH<sub>E</sub> DIGITA<sub>L</sub> DISCO<sub>U</sub>RS<sub>E</sub>
The digital discourse is a body of knowledge aimed at making sense of contemporary society. The premise of this discourse, prevalent in academic, business, political, and popular circles, is that the development and widespread deployment of network technology has ushered in a new society and a new civilization that is so revolutionary that established discourses fail to comprehend and represent it; hence the need for a new discourse. The unique characteristics of network technology are seen as paradigmatically different from previous technological systems, and hence they are seen as socially transformative. The general tone of the digital discourse toward these transformations is usually located on the spectrum between optimistic and euphoric. While problems are acknowledged, the overall movement is seen as universally progressive (with problems promised to be resolved, usually by more sophisticated technology). Thus, a digital civilization is ultimately a more benevolent civilization. The metanarrative of the digital discourse is one of revival: of the economy, of political life, of sociability, and of culture.
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Media and New Capitalism in the Digital Age