Networks as Society

I feel that it is such an important question to ask, where is the basis of our network age? Does the power lie in the Agency of the individuals who make up the network, or in the network itself, how societies are structured. Sometimes I feel that people make these choices everyday, how they choose to participate, what they choose to empower themselves with. Unfortunately, I think that a lot of us give up our freedom just by being unaware of the influence that networks have on us. But them, maybe if we don’t really care, we are free to make that choice, too. Go with the flow. But I am stumped by the question if we are victims of our place in the networks. Are you placed in a community without wanting to be, or are you a voluntary participant? If we have a choice, then we can’t be victims, but do we have a choice? You know, we talk about networks as if it is something totally new that was born with the internet, but I think of networks as society. And we still blame society for a bunch of things, like anorexia, workaholism (not a word, I see) and teenage bullying. Maybe saying we have no agency within networks is like saying we have no will to resist being bullies.