Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 5786: Social Control vs. Energy Management and Civilization Normotype from the Perspective of Sociocybernetics
Energies doi: 10.3390/en18215786
Authors:
Joanna Marta Wyleżałek
The purpose of the article is to present the processes of social control in relation to energy management, including the energy transition, and the processes of forming the normotype of civilization as an important activity that is part of social control. The basis of consideration is sociocybernetics as knowledge that allows a unified methodological approach to the study of many areas of the functioning of society. The present article assumes that the processes of controlling energy access and distribution are linked to the formation of cognitive norms, which is an essential aspect of social control, facilitating changes in the structure and functions of the globalizing society. To clarify assumptions about the systemic nature of society and control processes, the article presents the foundation of the cybernetic theory, in which democratic society is treated as an independent organized system, and various types of deformation of the democratic system which close the system, as externally controlled systems, dependent on the organizer. The actions of an organizer who is economically strong and systemically independent enough to shape the social structure according to the adopted model of action are crucial for considering the shape of the global society. The economic interests and power of influence of the beneficiaries of the global system are part of the variants of the global structure identified by Roland Robertson that refer to the affirmation of common goals or the instrumental treatment of the social structure for the realization of individual goals. The public mood resulting from the processes described is illustrated by the results of five surveys conducted by the Institut Public de Sondage d’Opinion Secteur (IPSOS) in dozens of countries around the world. The conclusions drawn from the considerations treated of can contribute to a broad discussion about the direction of social processes in a globalizing society.