Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2017

Marx & Proudhon in the Digital Age

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almost never leave their bedrooms. 25 The Hikkomori often cite a lack of fulfilment with the outside

world as the reason that they choose to withdraw from society. This lack of fulfilment from society

is linked quite closely to the Japanese adoption of technology, leading to a society in which

unemployment in rising, similar to China’s issues. This again points to the development of a

society in which it is impossible for the majority to be gainfully employed. This reality of high

employment being impossible belies the Marxist conception of unemployment being a means to artificially decrease labour prices, 26 as modern society seems to be truly incapable of retaining

everyone as employed due to the automation of jobs. This ongoing lack of potential employment

opportunities is inherently incompatible with any existing societal structures.

A range of contemporary theorists are exploring the social and political consequences of the

digital age. These theories tend to point to the ways in which production and reproduction are

entirely different in physical and digital contexts. The initial production processes are similar for

both, in that both require some creative effort, and there is a significant addition of value in the

initial processes of design. However, the two different classes of goods are vastly different in

terms of the costs of reproduction and distribution.

These differences, and the resulting changes in the social dynamic of corporations are most clearly outlined in Ben Thompson’s Manifestos and Monopolies . 27 Here, Thompson makes the

case that the power possessed by modern social networks, and other ’content silos’ is directly

25 Flavio Rizzo, “Hikikomori: The Postmodern Hermits of Japan,” Warscapes, June 14, 2016, accessed July 4, 2017, http://www.warscapes.com/opinion/hikikomiri postmodern hermits-japan 26 Farlex, “Marxian Unemployment,” TheFreeDictionary.com, 2017, accessed July 11, 2017, http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Marxian+Unemployment. 27 Ben Thompson, “Manifestos and Monopolies,” Stratechery by Ben Thompson, February 21, 2017, accessed July 11, 2017, https : / / stratechery . com / 2017 / manifestos and monopolies/.

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