商機的無限或文化的多元？──網際網路的政經結構、與社會文化現象

Commercialization or Cultural Diversity-- The Internet and Its Political-Economic, and Socio-Cultural Contexts

迥異於以往新資訊傳播科技以科技、經濟、和政策導向為主的研 究，本文嘗試建立以網際網路研究為主的批判傳播理論(Critical Communication Theory)架構。然而，批判傳播理論並非一個完全一致統合的理論體系，其中還包括了許多立場歧異的觀點，本文選取批判的傳播政治經濟學(Critical Political Economy of Communications)和文化研究(Cultural Studies)兩種基本假設互異、而且一直在持續爭辯中的理論取向，來探討它們對於網際網路所在的經濟、與社會文化情境(Contexts)觀點與觀察之異同。首先，本文將介紹批判傳播政治經濟學和文化研究兩種理論的基本假設與內涵。其次，本文將討論這兩種理論取向對於網際網路相關現象的探討與觀察。最後，本文將就這兩種理論的觀點，提出對於未來網際網路研究的建議。

Economic, technological and policy concerns have been the leading issues in the field of new information and communication technologies. Different from these approaches, this paper attempts to construct a framework based on critical communication theory to study the internet. Since critical communication theory, including many divergent viewpoints, is not a coherent theory system, this paper selects two approaches with different basic assumptions-critical political economy of communications and cultural studies-to examine the social cultural phenomenon in cyberspace. The first section explores the basic assumptions and content of critical political economy and cultural studies. The second section looks at the studies of the internet from the two approaches. The final section provides some suggestions based on the two approaches for future studies.