The Digital Age Of Capitalism
Author Jonathan Crary brings up the point in his article that "The digital tools and services used by people everywhere are subordinated to the power of transnational corporations, intelligence agencies, criminal cartels, and a sociopathic billionaire elite" (Crary, 2022, p.1). Crary is arguing how the internet itself has been inseparable from capitalism and has produced the norm on a globalized scale. Whether it's the want for a new sports car or the idea of overnight success, the internet itself has artificially constructed a reality that only serves the elite.
In relation to Jonathan Crary, the reading on MYLS concerning Peter Hall & David Soskice bring up the concept of varieties of capitalism approach regarding political economies. Hall & Soskice bring up the point that "the political economy is an environment comprised of actors who seek to advance their interests in a rational way in strategic interaction with others" (Hall & Soskice, 2001, p.6). In the digital age and during the time of their publishing when social media platforms were developed, Crary is essentially arguing how what we consume online is a fragmented and artificial interaction of emancipatory culture. Everything we consume and adopt comes from agents of power that control and eliminate what people should be consuming. Crary argues this digital age is the official body of political economies in the world and the division between those of power will continue to heighten and fragment those below them of ideas, dreams and various other complex functions of society.
Questions for the class:
1. In our current digital age, what is one political or cultural problem that stands out to you since the rise of social media?
2. Crary argues that temporality is becoming something of the past as the internet functions as a mind disabler for society, do you agree with this point or do you think it is to early to tell where society will venture off into?
References
Crary, J. (2022, April 14). The Digital age is destroying US. Literary Hub. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://lithub.com/the-digital-age-is-destroying-us/
Hall, P. A., & Soskice, D. (2001). An Introduction To Varieties Of Capitalism. In Varieties of capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage (pp. 1–68). essay, Oxford University Press.
Hello! great post! One thing that stands out to me since the rise of social media is users endlessly comparing themselves to one another. They have to have the best vacations, clothes, photos, food, pets and overall experiences. Compared to before this, when it was not highlighted on a platform what everyone was up to (you had to wait to see photo albums). This pressure contributes to mental health issues and bullying.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the internet functions as a mind disabler, due to how you can learn so much from it. For example, you can youtube/search anything youd like to learn (ie sewing, fixing cars..etc) and easily get the answer/tutorial you're looking for, compared to flipping through pages in a book.
- Julia
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think one problem that social media has brought upon society recently in the political sphere is the spread of misinformation. Throughout the 2016 election in America, social media was constantly feeding the public lies about both sides of the election in the hopes of influencing the voters. This is a huge political problem as the voters are the ones that decide who is going to run the country. If they are being fed lies, their votes will be biased for the wrong reasons.
I also do not think that the internet is a mind disabler because it allows for people to remember moments in time that would be forgotten if not for the internet. I also agree with Julia on the point that it teaches us so much. People are able to study and get their degrees online nowadays because of the internet.