A Guide to Understanding and Combatting Digital Capitalism

This article offers a general description of digital capitalism, understood as a system in which social and economic dynamics revolve around digital corporations and their infrastructures. The aim of this analysis is to help develop strategies to counteract capitalism. It takes an historical perspe...

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Main Author: Javier de Rivera
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group 2020-11-01
Series:tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1173
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author Javier de Rivera
author_facet Javier de Rivera
author_sort Javier de Rivera
collection DOAJ
description This article offers a general description of digital capitalism, understood as a system in which social and economic dynamics revolve around digital corporations and their infrastructures. The aim of this analysis is to help develop strategies to counteract capitalism. It takes an historical perspective, considering capitalism as an evolving system driven by a continuous flight from the law of diminishing returns. Fixed Capital and General Intellect are addressed as key analytical concepts for understanding the role of technology in capitalism, particularly in the digital era. Subjectivity formation is also a key element, as capitalism needs to progressively improve its strategies of ideological manipulation in order to survive. In the conclusion, I present five strategic principles to counteract digital capitalism. These strategies were developed in the Grupo de Estudios Críticos de Madrid (GEC-Madrid), an interdisciplinary group created in 2018 by the National Museum Reina Sofia (Spain) in order to coordinate the cycle “Six Contradictions and the End of the Present”, a series of lectures and workshops with internationally recognized scholars, followed by research seminars to discuss their ideas. 
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publisher Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group
record_format Article
series tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
spelling doaj-art-d1d98cf09a3d404aaa0d6defe5fcd96f2025-08-20T03:39:19ZengPaderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research GrouptripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique1726-670X2020-11-0118210.31269/triplec.v18i2.11731173A Guide to Understanding and Combatting Digital CapitalismJavier de Rivera This article offers a general description of digital capitalism, understood as a system in which social and economic dynamics revolve around digital corporations and their infrastructures. The aim of this analysis is to help develop strategies to counteract capitalism. It takes an historical perspective, considering capitalism as an evolving system driven by a continuous flight from the law of diminishing returns. Fixed Capital and General Intellect are addressed as key analytical concepts for understanding the role of technology in capitalism, particularly in the digital era. Subjectivity formation is also a key element, as capitalism needs to progressively improve its strategies of ideological manipulation in order to survive. In the conclusion, I present five strategic principles to counteract digital capitalism. These strategies were developed in the Grupo de Estudios Críticos de Madrid (GEC-Madrid), an interdisciplinary group created in 2018 by the National Museum Reina Sofia (Spain) in order to coordinate the cycle “Six Contradictions and the End of the Present”, a series of lectures and workshops with internationally recognized scholars, followed by research seminars to discuss their ideas.  https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1173platform capitalismdigital dominationgeneral Intellectalternativesautonomous spacescollective thought.
spellingShingle Javier de Rivera
A Guide to Understanding and Combatting Digital Capitalism
tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
platform capitalism
digital domination
general Intellect
alternatives
autonomous spaces
collective thought.
title A Guide to Understanding and Combatting Digital Capitalism
title_full A Guide to Understanding and Combatting Digital Capitalism
title_fullStr A Guide to Understanding and Combatting Digital Capitalism
title_full_unstemmed A Guide to Understanding and Combatting Digital Capitalism
title_short A Guide to Understanding and Combatting Digital Capitalism
title_sort guide to understanding and combatting digital capitalism
topic platform capitalism
digital domination
general Intellect
alternatives
autonomous spaces
collective thought.
url https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1173
work_keys_str_mv AT javierderivera aguidetounderstandingandcombattingdigitalcapitalism
AT javierderivera guidetounderstandingandcombattingdigitalcapitalism