Prometheus Wired: The Hope for Democracy in the Age of Network Technology

Citation

Fisher, D. (2001), "Prometheus Wired: The Hope for Democracy in the Age of Network Technology", Online Information Review, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 214-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/oir.2001.25.3.214.5

The title of this book suggests that it might well be another of those treatises predicting that a digital utopia is just around the corner. Refreshingly, it turns out to be something of an antidote to the more illusory claims of the literature. Barney argues that the assumption that computer networks equal a democratic revolution for the citizens of the world fails to address the ontological, political and economic realities that are likely to prevent such a dream from coming true. In addition, it is important to analyse what network technologies “say about us, about how we live and wish to live as a political community”.

The book is divided into seven chapters: “Prometheus wired”; “On technology”; “Networks”; “The political economy of network technology 1: the mode of production”; “The political economy of network technology 2: work, consumption, and exchange”; “A standing‐reserve of bits”; and “Government, politics, and democracy: network technology as stand‐in”. A bibliography and combined author/subject index are included. The book is clearly laid out and attractively presented. The chapters range from historical discussions charting the rise of computers and computer networks to philosophical debates about the nature of existence. It is a mine of sobering quotes:

Two out of every three human beings alive today have never made a telephone call …

‘Wired World’ denotes a certain way of defining ‘the World’ better than it explains where the wires actually are or who uses them.

Prometheus Wired is well written and closely argued, but that is not to say it is an easy read. The book is infused with the writings of some pretty heavyweight political philosophers: Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Heidegger and Grant. It also gives consideration to contemporary modernism vs postmodernism debates. So if you have absolutely no interest in philosophical reflection on the human condition, then this is probably not the book for you. However, if you are prepared to spend time in its company, I think you will find it a rewarding experience.

In dwelling on the flip side of network technologies Barney is not denying that computer networks can enhance participative democracy by providing citizens with communication and information resources. What he is stressing, though, is that such resources are only available to some citizens in a minority of the world’s most affluent regions. Further, Barney argues that rather than challenging capitalism, network technologies are ideally suited to assist in the development of globalized, privatized economies. The ownership of the technology is unequivocally capitalist and dominated by large corporations – Microsoft products constitute 95 per cent of the operating systems in PCs. Similarly, while the advent of teleworking has enabled some workers to escape from the office and engage in flexible working lives, in practice this can mean increased insecurity, reduced training and entrapment in unsafe working conditions at home. Barney also provides perceptive discussions about the nature of online identities, increased opportunities for control and surveillance, and the ability of technology to stand in for reality in the digital age.

In summary, Prometheus Wired is an original, erudite and uncompromising read. As employees and citizens, we deal on a daily basis with the tools and products of network technology; this book offers us the opportunity to step off the merry‐go‐round for a minute and reflect upon the meaning behind the image.