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  • Marx and Digital Machines

    Alienation, Technology, Capitalism

    Mike Healy

    Part of the Critical, Digital and Social Media Studies series.
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    “Healy closes his marvellous book by saying that ‘alienation is a constant feature and is experienced as a norm rather than as an aberration’.” - https://marxandphilosophy.org.uk/reviews/19718_marx-and-digital-machines-alienation-technology-capitalism-by-mike-healy-reviewed-by-thomas-klikauer/

    This book explores the fundamental contradiction at the heart of the digital environment: technology offers all manner of promises, yet habitually fails to deliver. This failure often arises from numerous problems: the proficiency of the technology or end-user, policy failure at various levels, or a combination of these. Solutions such as better technology and more effective end-user education are often put into place to solve these failures. 

    Mike Healy argues that such approaches are inherently faulty drawing upon qualitative research informed by Marx’s theory of alienation. Using Marx’s theory, he considers participants in three distinct settings: the workplace of information and communications technology (ICT) professionals; university scholars researching the ethical and societal implications of our digital environment; and a group of pensioners living in South London, UK, undertaking ICT training. By delving beneath the surface of how digital technologies are created, researched and experienced, this study illustrates the contradictory nature of our digital lives, as they directly arise from the needs of capitalism. 

    The book also places Marx’s theory in contrast to the mainstream approaches derived from Seaman and Blauner. In researching and comprehending ICT, this book reaffirms the superior explanatory power of Marx’s theory of alienation.

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    Book Reviews (2):

      Review from 30 Jun 2023: Teaching Philosophy
      Mike Healy – Marx and Digital Machines: Alienation, Technology, Capitalism

      John Kinsey

      Ambitious and well written, Marx and Digital Machines sets itself the task of familiarizing the reader with both classical and contemporary Marxist theory while simultaneously applying it to the field of Information Communication Technology.

      The full review cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. You can read the full review at Teaching Philosophy

      Review from 12 Oct 2021: Marx & Philosophy Review of Books
      Mike Healy – Marx and Digital Machines: Alienation, Technology, Capitalism

      Thomas Klikauer

      Ever since German philosopher Hegel discussed alienation and Karl Marx converted it into the sensible framework of the economics of capitalism, alienation isn’t really a new subject – many might even think all has been said. Yet, Healy’s exquisite b…

      The full review cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. You can read the full review at Marx & Philosophy Review of Books



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    How to cite this book
    Healy, M. 2020. Marx and Digital Machines: Alienation, Technology, Capitalism. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book47
    Healy, M., 2020. Marx and Digital Machines: Alienation, Technology, Capitalism. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book47
    Healy, M. Marx and Digital Machines: Alienation, Technology, Capitalism. University of Westminster Press, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book47
    Healy, M. (2020). Marx and Digital Machines: Alienation, Technology, Capitalism. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book47
    Healy, Mike. 2020. Marx and Digital Machines: Alienation, Technology, Capitalism. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book47




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    This book is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial + NoDerivatives 4.0 license. Copyright is retained by the author(s)

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    Additional Information

    Published on Oct. 16, 2020

    Language

    English

    Pages:

    172

    ISBN
    EPUB 978-1-912656-81-3
    Mobi 978-1-912656-82-0
    Paperback 978-1-912656-79-0
    PDF 978-1-912656-80-6

    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.16997/book47