Karl Marx and the Study of Media and Culture
In society today, every aspect of human life is pegged to technology in terms of digital communications. The digital technology, social media, and techno-social life is a prompt subject to analysis in this essay with regards to the Marxist theory. The use of technology in society has led to the creation of many social media platforms where individuals can exchange ideas and various cultures and still stay interconnected. Modern technology and the intense use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has enabled various societies from across the globe to be glued together in an imaginary socio-cultural world. Human beings are inherently social in communities, groups, and relationships. The use of digital technology and social media facilitates the flow of various social benefits such as capital. People get to know one another, and this leads to the creation of bonds between people and communities. In this approach, Carl Marx also developed some of his theories based on the power of technology and media in uniting society. Marx argues that the labor theory of value is critical in analyzing media, culture, and communication.
The Concept of Marxism and the Media
Social media play a pivotal role in connecting people to the occurrences of the real world where they cannot access such information. Nevertheless, in many societies, the media and its operation are hampered by what was known as capitalism in Marx’s theory (Fuchs, 2017). Today, the journalists and the media struggle to dominate the capitalists over their profession and humankind. Some countries today have subjected the media workers in struggles, which are connected to the struggle of workers against the capitalist theory. This struggle would transform human society under socialism, and consequently transform the media. The media will no longer be a reserve for trash culture, crass consumerism, and mediocrity. Instead, the media will be focused on bringing people together. According to the prompt by Chayko (2018), “the ability of media technology to serve as an interpersonal mediator makes people turn to digital technology” (Chayko, 2018). In a deeper analysis, Karl Mark considers the structure of journalism in the society controlled by technology and the capitalist theory jab, and the democratic society (Fuchs, 2017). According to his argument about the media, the democratic control of various media outlets guarantees people in the society the right to accurate information from uncaged journalism, which is liberated from the constraints of capitalism.
The longer working days, unpaid working times, overwork, spare time as labor, and overtimes indicate that labor time is a crucial aspect in the capitalist ICT industry. Different forms of labor come to gather as an international division of digital labor. In this regard, Mark mentioned that digital labor is labor conducted to enable the existence of digital media and its usage. Such labor includes forms of labor that express the productive forces of an organization, and the different modes of production. According to Chayko (2018), “different modes of digital labor shows that capitalism incorporates the various modes of production sublated in the capitalist economic thoughts” this concept was further illustrated by Marx in the concept of International division of digital labor (IDDL). According to Marx, IDDL implies that the various forms of labor are characteristics of capitalism at various stages. The IDDL shows the various stages of capitalist development as shown by Marx and the historical modes of production such as feudalism, capitalism, and classical slavery.
The Concept of Media Communication and Culture
Digital media provides an ambient environment and platforms where people can create, share ideas, information, and stories. The ability of people to share ideas culminates to a participatory culture, which brings about what Marx called inclusive labor. “A participatory culture is a platform where members of the public take active roles in the creation, and the consumption of the cultural products and sharing them” (Chayko, 2018). Many scholars today make use of Marx’s concepts of media and communication studies. Some of the scholars have come up with conclusions to revert the permissive thoughts that Marx’s works in communication and media studies were inaccurate. As a result, they developed common dimensions, which pointed to the common prejudices against Marx within the media and communication studies. Marx made his empirical arguments about the media and communication regarding the capitalist society. As a result, some of the scholars have disregarded the prejudices on the ground that using the Marxian views on the media and communication studies remain important in consolidating the social culture (Chayko, 2018). According to Marx, effective technologies used in the development of social communication platforms result in democracy. He further argued that a society which embraces equality, embraces the freedom of the media and all its outlets.
The media platforms must censor the contents aired for public consumption for the benefit of the social fabric. Media plays a significant role in shaping communication between individuals in society (McGuigan, 2015). This is because various contents such as music, video, and games can be accessed on digital platforms. Besides, the companions in digital places are highly assumed to be true. Fuchs mentions that “those whom we meet online assume we have met, and thus our brains fail to make a distinction between these different modes in the social life.” (Fuchs, 2017). According to Marx, becoming socially present would mean there is a face-to-face interaction that brings about the perceived proximity, and social presence. The information which may be exchanged on such platforms may be compromised, and if the same information circulates on the digital platforms, then the social fabric, as well as the economic, are at stake. Marx further argued the type of information presented on the digital platforms are significant in economic production and the value of labor (McGuigan, 2015). Therefore, the concept of culture, which is highly affected by the contents of communication cannot be confined to popular culture.
In conclusion, the arguments presented by Chayko are tandem with some of the thoughts developed by Karl Marx. The value of labor is critical in analyzing the culture, media, and the communication methods developed by digital technologies. Today, the theory of capitalism as earlier explained by Marx is getting dominated the digital media. Journalists who are also forming the component of labor in the society have tried to dominate the capitalist theory over their profession and humankind. The laborers also struggle to work against the capitalist theory, an effort that would later transform the society and economy at large. The concept of Marxism and the media helps the reader to develop the required insight in conducting a thoughtful analysis. The prompt by Chayko (2018) presents an analysis of how technology has affected culture from the aspects of digital media and communication methods. Further illustrations of his assertions were pegged to the arguments presented by Karl Marx in the various theories of capitalism, communism, and the concept of the labor theory of value.
References
Chayko, M. (2018). Superconnected: The internet, digital media, and techno-social life. Sage Publications.
Fuchs, C. (2017). What is to Be Done? The Role of the New and the Old in Media Theory–The Moment for Critical Digital and Social Media Studies.
McGuigan, J. (2015). The coolness of capitalism today. In Marx and the Political Economy of the Media (pp. 238-259). BRILL.