Networked Social Reproduction: Crises in the Integrated Circuit

This paper argues that the means of communication are sites for, and aspects of, social reproduction. In contemporary capitalism, motivated as it is by new, networked digital technologies, social reproduction is increasingly virtualised through the means of communication. Although recent political s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Elise Danielle Thorburn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group 2016-07-01
Series:tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/708
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850043686860095488
author Elise Danielle Thorburn
author_facet Elise Danielle Thorburn
author_sort Elise Danielle Thorburn
collection DOAJ
description This paper argues that the means of communication are sites for, and aspects of, social reproduction. In contemporary capitalism, motivated as it is by new, networked digital technologies, social reproduction is increasingly virtualised through the means of communication. Although recent political struggles have demonstrated how networked technologies can liberate social reproduction from the profit motive and from commodifying impulses, the tendency is to invoke and accelerate socially reproductive crises—crises in the capacity to reproduce ourselves both daily and intergenerationally. These crises have psychic and corporeal impacts, and intensify Tronti’s “social factory” thesis of capital’s technical composition. In order to develop modes and means of liberatory communication in the integrated circuit it is necessary to untangle and chart both the pathways and outcomes of the crises networked social reproduction invokes.
format Article
id doaj-art-172b839275144b38bbdebcc05a8f2c9d
institution DOAJ
issn 1726-670X
language English
publishDate 2016-07-01
publisher Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group
record_format Article
series tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
spelling doaj-art-172b839275144b38bbdebcc05a8f2c9d2025-08-20T02:55:10ZengPaderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research GrouptripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique1726-670X2016-07-0114210.31269/triplec.v14i2.708708Networked Social Reproduction: Crises in the Integrated CircuitElise Danielle ThorburnThis paper argues that the means of communication are sites for, and aspects of, social reproduction. In contemporary capitalism, motivated as it is by new, networked digital technologies, social reproduction is increasingly virtualised through the means of communication. Although recent political struggles have demonstrated how networked technologies can liberate social reproduction from the profit motive and from commodifying impulses, the tendency is to invoke and accelerate socially reproductive crises—crises in the capacity to reproduce ourselves both daily and intergenerationally. These crises have psychic and corporeal impacts, and intensify Tronti’s “social factory” thesis of capital’s technical composition. In order to develop modes and means of liberatory communication in the integrated circuit it is necessary to untangle and chart both the pathways and outcomes of the crises networked social reproduction invokes. https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/708social reproductionsocial factorycommunicationsdigital technologynetworked technologysocial media
spellingShingle Elise Danielle Thorburn
Networked Social Reproduction: Crises in the Integrated Circuit
tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
social reproduction
social factory
communications
digital technology
networked technology
social media
title Networked Social Reproduction: Crises in the Integrated Circuit
title_full Networked Social Reproduction: Crises in the Integrated Circuit
title_fullStr Networked Social Reproduction: Crises in the Integrated Circuit
title_full_unstemmed Networked Social Reproduction: Crises in the Integrated Circuit
title_short Networked Social Reproduction: Crises in the Integrated Circuit
title_sort networked social reproduction crises in the integrated circuit
topic social reproduction
social factory
communications
digital technology
networked technology
social media
url https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/708
work_keys_str_mv AT elisedaniellethorburn networkedsocialreproductioncrisesintheintegratedcircuit