From Factory to Code

Recent transformations in capitalism owing to the pervasive production and commercial use of data, including personal data of users of internet-related services, have seen proclamations such as “data is the new oil” and “you are the product”, and the rise of new analytical concepts such as “digital”/“data”/“surveillance”/“platform”/“information” capitalism. But what do we mean when we say data, where does it come from, what does it have it to do with capitalism, and why does any of it matter? This course aims to answer these questions, by examining the technology and data-driven transformations in political economy and society.