Netscapes of power

This chapter challenges the widespread claim that the new media, especially the Internet, are disruptive technologies capable of demolishing “old media” monopolies and ushering in a culture of information abundance. Grounded in an analysis of the North American mediascape, although with broader applications to other regions of the world, I argue that media ownership still matters because of its powerful influence on existing media and the evolution of cyberspace as a whole. Recognizing this, the chapter introduces the idea of “netscapes of power” to capture these realities and the realization that communication networks are powerful entities that raise a host of concerns at the heart of this book: risk management, social inclusion and exclusion, surveillance, and privacy.