Networks,Territories,Boundaries and Fences: The Politics of (Im)mobility and (In)visibility

This article explores the complex relationship between communication technologies and spatial power, as well as between the politics of mobility and spatial exclusion, against the backdrop of globalisation and digital technology. Building upon the naive predictions of the 1990s that technology would bring about universal mobility and connectivity, as well as the early techno-deterministic opinion that digital media inherently served as forces of democratisation and border dissolution, the article highlights how the distribution and access to communication infrastructure have themselves become crucial mechanisms of social exclusion and the main reason of reflecting the inequalities of mobility in reality. The digital divide is no longer merely a question of “access or no access,” but rather a hierarchical system involving the quality of access, the distribution of visibility, and permissions for virtual mobility. Taking Europe as an example, the article analyzes how, while promoting internal mobility and integration, the European Union also shapes an exclusive “European citizen” identity through border control, infrastructure planning, and cultural policies, thereby marginalising peripheral regions and groups. Phenomena such as Brexit and the rise of populism are seen as political backlash from regions “left behind” economically and culturally by globalisation. Furthermore, through the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, the article demonstrates that even in a highly interconnected era, the allocation of physical location and material resources (including communication resources) remains a fundamental determinant of life chances and visibility. It emphasises the importance of physical location and the politics of immobility, refuting the myth that virtual space can completely transcend geographical constraints.