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Understanding Accumulation: The Relevance of Marx’s Theory of Primitive Accumulation in Media and Communication Studies
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The aim of this article is to discuss and use Marx’s theory on primitive accumulation, outlined in the first volume of Capital, in relation to media and communication research. In order to develop Marx’s argument the discussion is revitalized through Harvey’s concept of accumulation by dispossession. The article focuses on two different fields within media and communication research where the concept of accumulation by dispossession is applicable. First, the role of news media content, news flows and news media systems are discussed in relation to social mobilization against capitalism, privatizations, and the financial sector. Second, Marx’s theory is used to examine how communication in Web 2.0 and the development of ICTs could advance the processes of capital accumulation by appropriating the work performed by users of Web 2.0 and by increasing the corporate surveillance of Internet users. In conclusion, by analyzing how primitive accumulation is intertwined with contemporary expanded reproduction of capital, the article shows that Marx’s theory can contribute to critical media and communication research in several ways.
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“Several contributors stress that Smythe's audience commodity theory is very well applicable to digital labour on platforms like Facebook or YouTube (Ekman 2012, Fisher 2012, Hebblewhite 2012, Nixon 2012, Prey 2012, Prodnik 2012).”
From Dallas Smythe Today - The Audience Commodity, the Digital Labour Debate, Marxist Political Economy and Critical Theory (2012) · cites this paper as Ekman 2012
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Fuchs, C. (2012) · tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique. Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society · doi:10.31269/triplec.v10i2.443 · Cited by 212
Metadata
- Authors
- Ekman, M.
- Affiliations
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Ekman, Mattias
- ORCID
- Ekman, Mattias
- Venue
- tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique. Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society
- Publisher
- Information Society Research
- Published
- 2012-05-25
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 156-170
- ISSN
- 1726-670X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1565659173
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 8.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- tripleC Communication Capitalism & Critique Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Economy and Marxism
- Social Sciences › Communication › News Media Framing and Political Communication
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Marxism and Critical Theory
- Keywords
- primitive accumulation, Marx's Capital, accumulation by dispossession, David Harvey, capital accumulation, news media, social mobilization, privatization, financialization, Web 2.0, information and communication technologies, corporate surveillance, expanded reproduction of capital, critical media studies
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