Abstract

An unsparing analysis of class power and computerisation, Cyber-Proletariat shows us the dark-side of the information revolution. From Coltan mines in the Congo; electronics factories in China and devastated neighbourhoods in Detroit, this book reveals how technology facilitates growing polarisation between wealthy elites and precarious workers.

Nick Dyer-Witheford reveals the class domination behind everything from expanding online surveillance to intensifying robotisation. At the same time, he looks at possibilities for information technology within radical movements; contemporary struggles are cast in the blue glow of the computer screen.

This book brings heterodox Marxist analysis to bear on modern technological developments. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how Silicon Valley shapes the way we live today.
'Accessible ... engrossing ... very much worth a read'
Marx & Philosophy Review of Books
'Teases out the tensions between new communisation and autonomist Marxist theories to portray the struggles of workers along the entire global capitalist commodity chain'
Dorothy Kidd, Professor and Chair, Department of Media Studies, University of San Francisco
'Tracks the eddies and flows of the perfect storm that is contemporary capitalism. This panoramic work reveals the relentless force of material destruction and brutal violence concealed by the sleek surfaces of digital culture'
Benjamin Noys, Professor of Critical Theory, University of Chichester, and author of Malign Velocities
'This accessible, well-written book makes for fascinating reading ... High recommended'
Choice
'A follow up to the classic Cyber-Marx with a synoptic view of the relationship between the poles of the contemporary global proletariat ... written with Dyer-Witherford's well-known eloquence and passion'
George Caffentzis, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern Maine