Cycles of Alienation: Technology and Control in Digital Communication

Abstract

Amongst scholars in Internet Studies (IS), Marx’s work on alienation has generally remained in favour. Its development in the field, however, has been uneven. Competing traditions claim alternative moments of alienation germane to their program and objects of study. This essay identifies and evaluates contemporary thinking concerned with alienation and high-technology capitalism. From the findings, I suggest a theory of alienation in digital communication that highlights the skill invested in users through human-technology co-developmental processes.