Information Society Theory as Ideology: A Critique

Abstract

The serious, concentrated analysis and critique of Information Society theory has been placed unavoidably at the centre of the concerns of scholars of communication by history itself. It is the dominant ideology of the current historical period. It raises questions which are unavoidable for anyone who wishes to understand the relationship between the structures and processes of social communication and social structure and processes more generally. These questions concern: a) impacts at the general level of the mode of production, in particular the relation between forces and relations of production; b) impacts at the level of the organisation of production itself and thus on the structure and consciousness of labour and on social stratification; and c) impacts on the spheres of politics and culture.