At the macro level, these narratives also signal a shift from a Fordist discourse of class to a post-Fordist discourse of networks. In the discourse of networks, individuals are construed as autonomous nodes and defined by their connections to other nodes in the network; the social is seen as a flat, decentralized sphere of ever-flowing, multiple, and ad hoc assemblages. This is a stark contrast to the Fordist conception of the social sphere as consisting of a hierarchized, stable, and category-defined arena. While the discourse of class stresses structural power relations, the discourse of networks is devoid of such forms of power (except, admittedly, the lack of power that results from being cut off from the network, i.e., being at the dark side of the digital divide) and instead associates power with the characteristics of autonomous nodes (i.e., power resulting from ingenuity and entrepreneurship). In the same vein, the central mode of social action in the discourse on networks is that of cooperation rather than struggle or competition, which characterizes the discourse on class. Hence, the notion of network work and its grounding in a technological reality allow for the substitution of a hierarchical, competitive, and antagonistic model of class by a dehierarchized, cooperative, agreeable, and inherently inclusive model of networks (at least in the long run, once the digital divide is bridged).
While Chapter 4 focuses on the ramifications of network technology for the traditional (or industrial) world of work, mostly within the confines of the “company,” or the “workplace,” Chapter 5 focuses on new forms of work and production brought about by network technology and taking place outside of these traditional sites. Chapter 5 examines the digital discourse at the intersection of network technology and the process of production. The integration of production into network technology results in the blurring of the boundaries between companies and the network and between producers and consumers. The network becomes the prime locus and axial coordinator of production, replacing the company, the workplace, and the assembly line. It facilitates new productive modes that are predicated on the ability to harness the working power of autonomous and dispersed nodes into the productive process.
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Media and New Capitalism in the Digital Age