Marxist view on digital communication Flashcards
1
Q
What Marxists discuss digital communication?
A
Garside
Cornford & Robins
2
Q
What do Marxists believe about digital communication?
A
- It’s mediated by private companies rather than the state meaning there are few laws regulating it, and there’s little financial encouragement for protecting vulnerable groups and preventing exploitation.
- It is a method of surveillance; a subtle way to control/regulate people in the interests of the wealthy.
3
Q
What did Garside find?
A
- Adults now spend excessive time online
- Balance between sleep and screen time based activity has flipped.
The average person spends…
8hrs 41mins consuming media
8hrs 21mins asleep
3
Q
Who discusses the average time people spend consuming media compared to sleeping?
A
Garside
4
Q
Who talks about how digital communication threatens individual liberty and freedom?
A
Cornford & Robins
5
Q
What does Cornford & Robins say about digital communication?
A
- People who own the digital media are capitalists who want profit and to control the masses.
- It threatens individual freedom/liberty as it is a way for capitalism to control people subtly under the idea of protecting people from extremism and criminality.
e.g. it is often unclear how the company owning the software programme (like Facebook) are collecting information on individual choices.
6
Q
How can Marxism be evaluated?
A
- Highly pessimistic, ignore positive elements.
- Too extreme/farfetched (idea of a small capitalist group controlling the population)
- Owners of new media companies may be feeding us positively.
- People consent to cookies and willingly use apps.
7
Q
What was the Snowden Report?
A
- The US National Security Agency specialist Snowden revealed widespread misuse of surveillance of digital communication.
- He shown that the US and British gov had been accessing private communications claiming it was in the interest of ‘national security’.
8
Q
What report highlights how governments can control digital communications?
A
Snowden Report
9
Q
What was the Cambridge Analytica scandal?
A
- Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that worked for the Trump 2016 campaign, harvested data from 87 million Facebook profiles.
- Bannon became vice president of Cambridge Analytica during the election and became a senior adviser to Trump.
- Cambridge Analytica claimed its understanding of psychology helps persuade people of its clients’ preferred message.
