Index

Preface ix 
1 Introduction 1 
2 Self-Organization and Cooperation 11 
2.1 Characteristics of Self-Organizing Systems 11 
2.2 Self-Organization and Dialectical Philosophy 17 
2.3 Self-Organization as Ideology: Hayek's Theory of Competition 23 
2.4 An Alternative: Self-Organization in Society as Human 
Cooperation 31 
2.5 Conclusion 34 
3 Society and Dynamic Social Theory 35 
3.1 Anti-Luhmann: Niklas Luhmann's Revolution in Social Science? 35 
3.2 Humans and Society 40 
3.3 The Self-Organization of Social Systems 49 
3.4 Dialectics and Evolution 58 
3.5 Society as Dynamic System 62 
3.6 Modern Society as Dynamic System 71 
3.7 Conclusion 96 
4 The Rise of Transnational Informational Capitalism 98 
4.1 Conceptualizing Contemporary Society 98 
4.2 The Rise of Transnational Informational/Network Capitalism 105 
4.3 Conclusion: Cooperation and Competition in Transnational 
Network Capitalism 119 
5 Social Internet Dynamics 121 
5.2 The Internet as a Dynamic Techno-Social System 121
viii Contents 
5.2 Web 1.0 as Dynamic Techno-Social System 123 
5.3 The Rise of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0: Communication and 
Cooperation Online 125 
5.4 Virtual Reality and Cyberspace 136 
5.5 Conclusion 138 
6 Competition and Cooperation in the Informational Ecology 140 
6.1 ICTs and Transport 140 
6.2 A Weightless Economy? 142 
6.3 Virtual Products as a Foundation of a Sustainable Society? 143 
6.4 Conclusion 146 
7 Competition and Cooperation in the Internet Economy 148 
7.1 The "Network Enterprise": Cooperation as Ideology 148 
7.2 Informational Capitalism: Commodity or Gift Economy? 157 
7.3 Class Competition in Informational Capitalism 189 
7.4 Conclusion 209 
8 Competition and Cooperation in Online Politics 213 
8.1 Digital Exclusion: Digital Divides 213 
8.2 Digital Inclusion: eParticipation as Grassroots Digital Democracy 225 
8.3 The Absolute Violence of Competition in the Information Age: 
Information Warfare 247 
8.4 Competition by Control: The Rise of Electronic Surveillance 267 
8.5 Cooperating Social Movements Online: Cyberprotest 111 
8.6 Conclusion 294 
9 Competition and Cooperation in Cyberculture 299 
9.1 Cyberculture Defined 299 
9.2 Virtual Communities 304 
9.3 Cyberculture: Socialization or Alienation? 327 
9.4 Conclusion 333 
10 Conclusion 335 
Notes 355 
References 357 
Index 381