The enclosure of cyberspace

Abstract

This essay takes a radical political economy approach to investigate the evolving National Information Infrastructure (NII). The first section explores the growing concentration of ownership and control over the NII, with specific focus on interactive digital television. The second section looks at efforts of copyright owners to extend their control over information and cultural products into new media markets. The final section concerns the commercialization of the NII as information service providers have begun to use the system to advertise and sell commodities. Concentration, commodification, and commercialization are all seen as tendencies undermining the democratic potential of new communications systems.