Digital Work in Pandemic Capitalism: Meanings and Effects
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Abstract
The last two decades have seen profound transformations of work, both in the process of work organisation and in the functioning of the labour market. Among these, the most recent and fastest is the computerisation of work, in particular the digitisation of work. The practice and the myth of “smart working” are the visible signs of a planetary dynamic of capitalist matrix which, once again, presents the possible liberation and humanization of labour within the framework of a new, and perhaps more radical, alienation, atomization and subordination of labour to the imperatives of the market and profit. With the expansion of the so-called Industry 4.0 - which will further intensify the robotization and digital automation in all possible activities, through the "internet of things", the expansion of artificial intelligence, with profound consequences on employment - what are the main consequences for the working class? What is the new configuration of the working class? How has the pandemic period influenced this process? These are the primary questions that this article aims to address, providing elements to support the existence of a digital proletariat.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
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