Since its emergence, the Internet has become a necessity of modern day life, which represents the backbone of network connections that combines both humans and technology. To understand the underlying frameworks within the Internet structure, Castells identifies a four layer structure of the key actors involved in shaping the Internet's history. This includes technomeritocratics, hackers, virtual communities, and entrepreneurs. These four groups can be categorized into two narratives. The technomeritocratics and hackers are defined as producers, whereas the virtual communities and entrepreneurs are consumers. Producers are understood as the innovators of the Internet and were mainly motivated by utopian values which included openness, freedom, and interconnectivity. Technomeritocratics consisted of academics, intellects, and technologists who had a large influence on the early cultural shapings of the Internet. They began to develop the Internet in American universities and think tanks. They were particularly motivated by openness based around open source movements which meant that any producers or users should be able to distribute their findings openly over any network. As producer Tim Berners-Lee identified a new form of individual freedom, which allowed innovators and users to freely share and view information through a market economy which was labeled as the ARPANET. It was these early utopian narratives that were engraved onto the initial developments of the Internet. Hackers were labeled as builders and imaginers, who freely helped to rapidly develop the Internet and mold its culture through innovation. They were essential in bridging the gap between the technomeritocratics and virtual communities, otherwise known as the producers and consumers. The hacker community in particular had a similar sense of utopian values, which the idea that the Internet can provide a space for individuals and users away from government and commercial influences. For example, Richard Stallman developed the Free Software Foundation, which allowed other hackers to develop the Internet further with no cost. The utopian values of the producers have help to construct the Internet's trajectory both for its technological and cultural frameworks. Consumers on the other hand have shaped the future line of the Internet's development and cultural frameworks. Virtual communities were formed as a result of using the Internet as a medium for interactions and connections. These groups were populated from shared interests based on counter cultures and political movements, such as the Whole Earth 'Lectronic movement that was formed in San Francisco in the 1990s. Following the development of Web 2.0, a new range of virtual communities has emerged. The key values held by these groups is the self direct use of the Internet, both by creating and joining communities, free horizontal communication, and the freedom of speech in media dominated societies. Despite their limited technological knowledge, members of virtual communities are essential to shaping the Internet's culture by making the Internet more socially accessible for subcultures to thrive and develop online. The latter consumers known as entrepreneurs consist of innovators, venture capitalists, and technologists working within larger corporate organizations. Entrepreneurs in particular have developed a new online culture, which is called digital capitalism, in which the traditional utopian values of freedom, connectivity, communities, and accessibility have become capitalized. For instance, it is argued that Microsoft, for example, has commercialized these values of community openness and freedom in order to gain a large profit. This dystopian framework suggests that the current state of the Internet is as a result of economic shifts on digital capitalism, which has replaced the traditional ethos of the Internet's culture and has altered the medium for economic gain. Despite these concerns, the entrepreneurial segment has been crucial to the rapid expansion of the Internet by diffusing the platform to all parts of society. Looking inside the Internet's cultural framework reveals a four layer historical structure, which reflects the transition of cultural landscape of the Internet. This portrays the Internet as a socially constructed and culturally informed by societal change. [SOUND]
