When one hears the word “networking” it usually conjures up the mind images of servers and clients, the worldwide web, and perhaps sites such as Facebook. Normally, things like the telegraph and railroad don’t immediately come to mind.
They should, which is what Armand Mattelart looks at in his book “Networking the World, 1794-2000” (2000) in which he takes a historical look at the challenges, benefits, and influences that have shaped emerging networks since the late 18th century.
In his research, we are provided with a framework in which to intellectualize contemporary issues and avoid some of the hyperbole surrounding the current “information superhighway.”
Emerging from nationalism and neo-classical economics, the first manifestations of these growing networks were the telegraph and the railroads. At the time, thinkers believed these new forms of networks would leap national borders to promote a free exchange of ideas and culture.
However, monopolies and cartels quickly began to dominate, concentrating the means and power into the hands of a few. Military and corporate interests were soon peaked and devices engaged to direct network resources for specific goals – usually with national or corporate interests at heart.
At best, this is a cautionary tale, one that forces us to look beyond both our current time and space to conceptualize current problems in a historical perspective. But, therein lays the problem as well. There are forces at play in current evolving networks that haven’t yet been defined or even identified yet.
If interests other than those of the marketplace and a free hive-like network begin to dominate, the power of the network is diluted into an oligarchy of self-serving interests and agendas.
If nothing else, one can take this historical reflection as an advisory, especially with what seems to be an upcoming battle over network neutrality in the information age.
