Code as Power: How the New World Order Is Reinforcing the Old

Authors

  • Jordan McCarthy Stanford University, Program in Science, Technology and Society

Keywords:

Internet, digital media, cybernetics, information technology, cyberspace

Abstract

This essay is a response to the popular and somewhat simplistic belief that "digital technologies by their nature undermine the authority of existing institutions." With the help of a few case studies from the histories of virtual identity, Internet governance, and the digital economy, this essay argues that although technology-driven disturbances to the outer layers of traditional institutions are common, such disruptions have generally been quite transient and superficial.  Ultimately, powerful institutions that are introduced to new technological paradigms not only survive, but thrive--the process of adapting their outer layers to deal with technological disruptions radically strengthening their core structures and consolidating their authority.

Author Biography

  • Jordan McCarthy, Stanford University, Program in Science, Technology and Society
    Jordan is a Senior in the Stanford Program in Science, Technology and Society

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Published

2010-10-25

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2010)

Section

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