This document discusses the network society and its implications for development in South Africa. It defines networks and describes how society is increasingly organized through various intersecting networks. It outlines how information networks are transforming interactions and driving global structural changes. It analyzes South Africa's position in the network society to date, including barriers to internet access and growth of social media. It envisions how networks and technologies like mobile, sensors, and big data could shape development by 2030 and 2040, with goals of universal internet access, job creation, improved public services, smart cities, and transitioning to sustainable networks and economies.

1. Development Drivers
in the Network Society
Walter Fieuw
Greater Tygerberg Partnership
“Imagining the Future” seminar series

2. What is a network?
• Social networks are ancient forms of social
organisation
• Relationships between individuals, groups, organisations,
societies
• Social network analysis in Sociology
• Network society is different from social networks
• Networks are composed of intersecting nodes:
• Councils in a political network
• Cities in a global network
• Gangs in a crime cartel network
• News teams, television systems in a broadcast network
• These networks produce information, economic, social,
cultural flows, which are either inclusive or exclusive

3. The Network Society
• Network Society >
understanding the networks
that shape societies
• Different interpretations on
what extent networks are the
basic units of society, as
opposed to e.g. organisations
• Information networks are
creating new possibilities of
interaction
• Largely driven by new
information technologies such
as the internet, trading
platforms, globalisation

4. The Network Society (2)
• Global structural transformation over the past two
decades
• Deregulation and liberalisation of financial services in the
1980s spurred a new generation of communication tools,
financial derivatives, hyper-mobility of global capital
• Increased stock prices + market confidence + speculation +
venture capital = Dotcom bubble (late 1990s)
• Technology does not determine society: It is society!
• Society shapes technology according to needs, values,
interests of users
• Adapt or die! Wealth, power, knowledge, are largely
depedent on the ability to organise society to reap
benefits of the new economy
• From Manufacturing to Service Economy

5. Cities in the Network Society
• Cities/urbanisation are drivers of globalisation
• World City Network analysis: new research
agendas into global resource flows
• SMART Cities and Big Data
• Infrastructure analysis through sensors,
computerisation,
• More efficient and informed decision making
• Access to communication between citizens and
government
• Policy decision: deal with uncertainty or with the
reality already faced by citizens.
• What is the next generation of services and urban
systems?

6. Network Society’s (African)
urban/spatial form (Konza City)

7. The new post-colonial
masterplan? (Watson) (Tatu City)

8. ICT is about more than gadgets

9. Internet access in South Africa
• 12.3m internet users in
SA
• 1 in every 3 has access
• 60% of African internet
traffic is generated from
South Africa
• Yet access is still
skewed:
• Expensive
• Slow connections (1/5
still use dial up)
• Weak infrastructure
Stats retrieved
from: http://www.internetworldstats.com
/af/za.htm

10. Social media in South Africa
• Mxit is still a very large social network in South
Africa with 7.4 million users
• Drop in numbers: -2m in one year
• 400 million messages sent every day
• Users spend 95 minutes every day
Facebook Twitter Linked-In
9.4 million users 5.5 million users 2.7 million users
40% growth year on year
Fastest growing group: 23
-26 years old
129% growth in one year +800,000 users in one
year
87% access via mobile Top 50 companies take 4.5
hours to reply to a tweet
34% of users aged
between 25 and 34
South African Social Media Landscape 2012 by Fuseware and World Wide Worx

11. So what lies ahead?

12. Convergence of six technology
forces
• Mobile. Cell phones now exceed people on the planet, wearable
computing is booming, data costs are dropping, and app
downloads have gone wild.
• Social media. Almost 1.5 billion people are on social networks,
and businesses are using them to connect with customers,
humanize themselves, and learn.
• Data. The size of the Internet is expanding at an exponential rate
– leading to the idea of big data. But it’s little bits of data delivered
to us exactly when we want them (thanks to search) that are really
impacting our lives.
• Sensors. Sensors in technology can emulate three of the five
human senses: sight, touch, and hearing. Sensors can talk to us
and to each other.
• Location-based services. Our location is one of the most
important parts of our context.
The Age of Context by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel

13. The new buzzword?
• Big companies like IBM and Ericson is leading
the new wave of corporate (re)branding
• People + Things + Connectivity + Big Ideas =
Network Society (Ericson)
• Global Innovation Outlook, Smart City (IBM)

14. New role for civil society and
governments?
• Mentioned before: Society shapes technology
• ICT development Janus-faced: deeper
contradictions?
• Information society > already seeing
restrictions on access to information
• Arab Spring mobilisation through mobile
technology > Cape Town is one of the protest
capitals of the world
• What new civil society – government
relationships can we imagine?

15. Development drivers: 2020
• Last decade: SA fails Network Society test (global
recession, structural unemployment, HIV/AIDS,
policy paralysis)
• New Growth Path + NDP: footnote references
• Following Castell’s visit in 2010: “ICT seen as
industrial-age communications infrastructure for
commercial distribution and regional integration.
ICT’s transformative potential to drive productivity,
to stimulate growth and employment, and to
enable democracy is largely ignored”
• International Telecommunications Development
Index: South Africa has slipped from 77th in 2002
to 91st in 2007

16. Development drivers: 2030
• New wave of internet users > from 15% in 2008 to 34% in
2012. By 2030, aim to have 100% internet penetration
• 11 million jobs created by 2030 (NDP)
• New government service portals > education, e-commerce,
skills development, improved health services
• VR Corridor densification, transport orientated, quality public
spaces, new manufacturing for green economy
• Big data and SMART cities > more efficient and responsive
cities
• Sustainability transition > new energy, production and
consumption networks
• New Growth Path: move away from the mineral-energy
complex towards mixed economy > ICT should be a
cornerstone

17. Development drivers: 2040
• VR Corridor integration, Cape Town’s second
metro node
• Advanced manufacturing > on demand production
and improved logistics
• Migration likely to increase > transfer of skills,
commerce networks, knowledge transfer
• South to South
trade networks

18. Thank you