ABSTRACT
The study of the impact of new media has become a fascinating field of study for social theory. While this is quite legitimate given the pervasiveness of media in the contemporary world, one tends to look at only one aspect of media on society, that is, how it has commodified culture, increased speed of transactions in the global economy and flow of information, how it has ensured defeat of deferred gratification by consumerism, how it has brought varied fashions before us etc., ignoring the other important aspect, which is how it has ensured democratic possibilities in terms of strengthening solidarity and network. Social theory of new media, if it desires to be objective and comprehensive, needs to examine both the aspects of new media. Dwelling on only one aspect of the impact of media ignoring the other would produce a partial and unsatisfactory social theory. This chapter seeks to point out that glaring inconsistency in some social theories of media which look at the impact of media from only one perspective, that is, how it promotes commodification and informationalism.
