The Opposition Between the Net and the Self (1989-2009): Analysis of Manuel Castells? Sociological Hypothesis

Since 1989, the opposition between the net and the self is the main formula Manuel Castells has proposed to synthesize his views on the structural dynamics of contemporary societies. In this article we analyze the main aspects of this postulate, focusing on the relationship it establishes with the issue of power. Our examination reveals that this connection, meandering and disorienting on the explicit level of his social theory, promotes a reductionist and non-relational conception of power, and one sustained by a certain spatial determinism. We also analyze the logics of articulation involved in the formula, and its connection to his main social metaphors, the information age and the knowledge society. Lastly, we look at the main problem arising from the opposition between the net and the self: the breakdown of patterns of social communication