Sociology Flashcards
Accumulation by dispossession
The harvesting of data about people, organizations, and things and their transformation into a form of capital is often described as a process of “accumulation by dispossession”. A loss of your rights that is supported by practices and legal violence
Accumulation by gift (the Maussian Bargain)
The ”unique regime” of accumulation by gift implies that the economic relation that develops as a result of a digital gift offering not only masks the structural asymmetry between giver and gifted but also permits the creation of the new commodity of personal data, obfuscates its true value, and naturalizes its private appropriation
The Maussian Bargain
Stands for the idea that gift-giving is not a simple act of generosity but involves a complex set of social expectations and obligations.It implies that when someone gives a gift, it creates a social bond and implies a reciprocal obligation for the recipient to give something in return. The act of giving, receiving, and reciprocating gifts establishes and maintains social relationships, creating a cycle of exchange that strengthens social ties. This concept emphasizes the social and symbolic dimensions of economic transactions.
Network effects
Refers to the idea that the value of a product or service increases as more people use it. In other words, the more users a network has, the more valuable it becomes to each individual user. Which can lead to a few dominant players having a significant share of the market
”Choice architecture”
When digital companies talk about this it refers to the way they set up options and defaults to guide your choices on their platform. Use techniques to make me share more personal info
Economic morality
Intentionally organizing ethical guidelines to efficiently collect data without spending too much money. A set of moral relations deliberately planned to replenish the data pipeline at the cheapest cost
Primitive accumulation in the digital economy
The appropriation of data about people, organizations, and things and their transformation into a form of capital
Digital capitalism
The economic system in which digital technologies play a central role in the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Digital capitalism involves the use of digital tools to create value, enhance efficiency, and drive economic growth. While digital capitalism offers opportunities for innovation and economic growth, it also raises concerns about issues like data privacy, inequality etc
Digital Economy
An economic system where digital technologies, primarily the internet and information & communication technologies, play a central role in economic activities. In the digital economy, the creation, distribution, and consumption of goods and services are heavily influenced by digital processes and technologies. While it enhances efficiency, innovation, and global connectivity, it also raises concerns about issues such as data privacy, cybersecurity, and the digital divide
Heteromation
Organic solidarity. Everyone (including users) do their part to fix the machine, making it even more precise and efficient
“Heteromated” labor
Everyone contributes to the big platforms by contributing with different forms of free labor
Digital society
The societal changes and transformations brought about by the widespread use and integration of digital technologies in various aspects of everyday life. In a digital society, digital data plays a central role, as it is collected, stored, and analyzed for various purposes
Network society
Positions networks as the basis for modern societies’ structures and power relations
Knowing capitalism
When information is a source of profit.
Megaplatforms
Internet empires sucha as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple
Foucauldian Approach to power
Focuses on power relations that are based on both authority and those who are dispersed everyday and voluntary. It emphasizes that power operates through various modes of communication and surveillance, and it is not solely exercised by authoritative individuals or groups.
“Post-hegemonic power”
Via the newly digitized information economy, a type of “Post-hegemonic power” operates in increasingly subtle ways. Power becomes a natural part of life, but people might not notice it because it’s invisible and taken for granted.
Sociomaterial approach / the sociomaterial perspective
A theoretical perspective that emphasizes the interplay between social and material aspects of human life. Moves beyond a focus solely on social or cultural factors and recognizes the significance of material objects, technologies, and their interactions with human actors in shaping social relations & human experiences. That human and non-human actors shape each other.
