Networks of Outrage and Hope: Manuel Castells

Networks of Outrage and Hope by Manuel Castells discusses the implications of networking on political movements. Rather than speaking to the connection between the two collectively, Castells devotes chapters to specific political movements, discussing not only a narrative account for how the movement came to be, but also the utilization of technology and networking as a means for promoting, advocating, and educating a global audience.
"Prelude to the Revolution: Where it all started" discusses the movements in both Tunisia and Iceland. While both movements focused on the politics within their countries, each had its own agenda. For the people of Iceland, their main objective was to restore the economy, and expose the politically corrupt banksters and corporate hustlers. In Tunisia, the protests were a response to what Castells describes as, "institutionally-backed humiliation and the search for dignity" (25). What's important to note however, is that although both movements utilized the digital network as a way to spread awareness and gain followers, these networking tactics were also conducted within urban spaces. Whether it's sitting in front of Parliament in Iceland, or Mohamed Bouazizi, who lit himself on fire as a response to attempted coercion. The beginning of these movements resided in physical spaces.
"The Egyptian Revolution" focuses on (you guessed it) the Egyptian revolution. It is with this revolution that were really grasp the implications of technology and its ability to fuel a movements cause. With the recording of police brutality, proponents of the movement were able to gain followers by relying on the emotional impacts of such attacks by law enforcement. They even began their protests on national police day (January 25th) as a refutation to the way their law enforcement was operating.
(Side Note: A lot of these issues that Castells discusses have me recognizing current parallels going on in our society today. Upon reading the chapter on the Egyptian Revolution (as well as the Occupy Wall Street movements throughout the country), I found myself thinking about the issues of police brutality in Ferguson. I'm sure Lacy and Alex will touch on this with their attention to the recent use of social network used by ISIS)
Another important issue facet of the Egyptian Revolution was its attention to the treatment of women during political movements. Again, through the use of SNS to shed light on the violence towards women, more followers and awareness was spread and in turn, more women began to advocate for equality and a no tolerance to police brutality. As Castells notes, "It was this multimodality of autonomous communication that broke the barriers of isolation and made it possible to overcome fear by the act of joining and sharing" (59).
Another important part of the Egyptian revolution was the impact of the government's decision to shut off the Internet. I was amazed and proud to read that this did not shut down the movement, but rather extended relations with other countries, as they reached out to Egyptians and gave access to their networks and resources in order to better fuel the movement. This large effort on a global scale essentially forced the Egyptian government to restore power (that and the loss of revenue). As Castells notes, "In short, the Internet is the lifeline of  the interconnected global economy" (59). It stands to say that in these instances "if there is a will there is a way", proving that despite the numerous setbacks or attempted disarming of political movements, those who "fight the good fight" will always strive for justice.
"Dignity, Violence, Geopolitics: The Arab Uprisings" briefly discusses the rise of Arab Nations to challenge and infiltrate their countries politics. Castells summarizes this collective upheaval, stating "calls on the Internet, networking in cyberspace and calls to occupy urban space to put pressure on the government to resign and open a process of democratization...the interaction between the protests and the regimes depended on internal and geopolitical conditions" (94-95).
"A Rhizomatic Revolution: Indignadas' in Spain" focused on the "possibility of successfully confronting the collusion between bankers and politicians through grassroots mobilization" (111). According to Castells, advocates of the movement in Spain noted "Just saying loudly and collectively what everybody had been keeping inside for years was a liberating gesture that made the government more expressive than instrumental in the short term" (134). This emphasis on a shared collective experience brings me to the first main point I believe Castells conveys in his book, were he states, "Since we know that emotions are the drivers of collective action, this could in fact be the key for future social change" (134). Although there are several examples presented in the text of the ways in which networking and the Internet provided a fuel to political movements, I believe it is a the close analysis of how the Internet is used to evoke emotion and connection to these issues that really makes them successful. Whether it bet videos of police brutality, self mutilation through setting yourself on fire, or perhaps participating in a march or forum that advocates for the treatment of women, all of these movements are fueled by the emotions of its participants. People are not propelled to join a movement unless they feel something towards it. Castells touches on the specific types of emotions that are experienced a little later....but I think this is a huge point in his work.
"Occupy Wall Street: Harvesting the Salt of the Earth" was a doozy of a chapter, with a lot of narrative storytelling of how the movement came to be, as well as a detailed account of how and why it spread across the country. There is a lot of important information in this section to consider. First, the notion that "The Occupy Wall Street was born digital"  (171). Unlike the other movements, which originated in some type of urban space, the Occupy Wall Street movement originated in blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts. For me, what was especially important in this chapter was not only the acknowledgement of the digital influence the Internet played on the movement, but the actual functions and utilization's of the movement to produce specific jobs, functions, and outcomes...which I believe is the second main point of the book. Within this chapter Castells discusses the different SNS and Internet resources, outlining their specific purpose as it pertained to the movement. For example, Castells discusses some implications stating, "SNS was important, particularly for coordinating actions and staying in touch, as were email list-servs to diffuse information. Conference calls, using Mumble and other VOIP technologies, allowed deliberation between distant sites (176-177).
Another facet of the occupy movement that intrigued me was the attention to politics within the movement itself. the intricate system of the GA that was established in order to address issues or proposals within the movement was pretty astonishing (the flow chart Castells provided was helpful). Additionally, I enjoyed the discussion of how the media exposure to the Occupy Wall Street movement was more authentic when portrayed from an actual participant, as Castells mentions "the mainstream media only reported what their editors wanted, but the movement self-reported everything, posting on the Internet all the actions that took place in every confrontation" (191).
"Changing the World in the Network Society" is more of a summative look at the implications the Internet has on political movements. This is the chapter where Castells look more on a psychological level at the emotions that are present within movements: "fear, disgust, surprise, sadness, happiness, and anger" (219). The rest of the chapter mainly goes through these implications, which is rather redundant because I feel like he does this at the end of every chapter anyway. However, Castells notes that "Networking technologies are meaningful because they provide the platform for this continuing, expansive networking practice that evolves with the changing shape of the movement" (221), which I think is really important to remember when reflecting on the implications of technology on social and political movements.