Blog Six: The Future of
Production Networks
By Sophie Boden
Retrieved
from: http://solidsmack.com/culture/social-manufacturing-third-industrial-revolution-is-here/
As was
proscribed by The Economist (2012), ‘Now a third revolution is under way.
Manufacturing is going digital’ (p. 1). This has a range of implications for a
number of people and nation states. As manufacturing becomes less of a
specialist field, job losses will incur and traditional means of production will
fall. This could have negative impacts on the global economy.
However,
today we live in a technology dominated paradigm which is also ‘a fundamental
enabling force in the globalizing of economic activities’ (Dicken, 2007, p.
138). Thus, whilst complete change from traditional manufacturing to a digital
version may have some serious implications regarding employment, technology is
crucial to enabling global economic activities for transnational corporations.
A key
characteristic in the post-ford era is the ‘borderless, flexible’ nature of
production (Kuttainen, 2013). As was discussed previously this is made possible
through multinational corporations having access to technology. This is also an
inherent quality of social networking sites. A site such as Facebook allows for
the crossing of borders and hence enables production on a global level.
Facebook through the advertising of products or ‘stuff’ can reach extensive
areas of the Earth.
Another
impact Facebook has had, is that corporations who are not considered
transnational can utilise this network to become ‘popular’ (Felix, 2012). Thus boosting their
production levels.
Thus, today
we see a change in the traditional approach to exchange through utilising
social networks as a means of communicating to a large and varied group of
people. What will happen to future production is purely speculative. Perhaps
there will be a complete digital revolution making our current forms of
production obsolete.
Reference List
Dicken, P.
(2007). Winning and losing: An introduction, in Global Shift: Mapping the changing contours of the world economy
(pp. 437-453). London, England: Sage.
Felix, S.
(2012). The 20 Most-Liked Facebook Companies Ever. Retrieved from: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-20-most-liked-companies-on-facebook-2012-8?op=1#18-zara-142-million-likes-3
Kuttainen, V.
(2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place,
week 8 notes. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
The Economist. (2012). The third industrial revolution. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/21553017
Image Credits:
Brandon, J.
(2012). New Era of Manufacturing. Retrieved from: http://solidsmack.com/culture/social-manufacturing-third-industrial-revolution-is-here/
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