Communicative capitaland communicative exploitation in digital society

摘要

The paper deals with the concept of communicative capitalism as a theoretical framework for analyzing contradictions of digital society. We consider an attention-keeping as a basis for Internet users exploitation and, consequently, for an accumulation of a new type of capital, which is called communicative. In virtual space, inequality in the distribution of communicative capital constitutes a new hierarchy of “exploiters” and “exploited”. The first ones are creators of digital spectacle using their recourses to compete for mass attention. The second ones are spectators involved in “presuming” of circulating data flow; in other words, they are communicative laborers. We highlight a new dimension of power applying in computer-mediated networks. Also, we identify new instrumental and discursive practices communicative capitalists use for attracting Internet users' attention, retaining it, and making the process of its monetization routinized and predictable. Such capitalists can furtherly reinvest received money to dominate both economically and politically.