This paper develops the concept of “communication architectures” to analyse changes to the political systems within network society. The idea of a communication architecture builds upon David Easton''s account of the political community and the political regime in specifying an analytical framework for the analysis of networks in political systems. The paper points to changes in the geography and topography of communication structures through which members of a political system constitute a political community as digital networks become increasingly integrated into political and social practices. This creates new possibilities for structural connections between members of a political system and configurations of regime authority structures through which members of a political system make collective decisions and implement political outputs. Additionally, these changes also portend a transformation in what Easton terms the “norms” of a political regime as politics is rendered in increasingly informational terms. In contrast to Castells''s macrosociological approach to network society, communication architectures start from the concrete communications between actors through which networks form. This avoids unidimensional representations of communication networks and provides conceptual resources for analysing reflexive and informational dimensions of political life.
