The Spirit of Digital Capitalism

Digital technologies are now central to the machinations of capitalism. How are they giving rise to new forms of capital accumulation and domination? And in what terms are these changes being promoted and justified by a new and incredibly powerful elite? This book takes on such questions. Beyond demonstrating how digital technologies make new forms of capital accumulation possible, Huberman interrogates the ideological transformations that have accompanied the emergence of digital capitalism. She examines how business gurus, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists make claims about how digital technologies contribute to the common good, foster collaboration and connectivity, and render life more convenient, even if this convenience comes at the expense of values such as privacy and liberty. Ultimately, Huberman argues that the spirit of digital capitalism is Janus-faced and reveals deeper cultural contradictions at the heart of contemporary American society: promising, in the same moment, to liberate us and surveil us, enrich us, and yet render our lives more economically precarious. Smart and thought-provoking, this book offers new perspectives that will speak to anyone interested in the contours of contemporary capitalism, particularly students and scholars of economic anthropology and sociology.

Detailed Table of Contents Acknowledgments Prologue: An Occupational Hazard Introduction: The Digital Age and the Spirits of Capitalism Chapter 1: The Spirit of Competition: Crowdsourcing through Incentive Competitions Chapter 2: The Spirit of Collaboration: Crowdsourcing through Communities Chapter 3: The Spirit of the Game: Smartphone Apps and the Digital Extraction of Surplus Value Chapter 4: In the Spirit of Convenience: Amazon Go and Surveillance Capitalism Chapter 5: The Spirit of the Gift: The Work of Techno-philanthropy Conclusion: The Spirit and Contradictions of Digital Capitalism Bibliography    Endnotes