Informational capitalism

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The informational capitalism refers to a capitalist economic system , the information as a commodity treated. The term was coined by the sociologist Manuel Castells . As part of his work on the network society, he developed the term in his trilogy Information Age.

The mode of production in capitalism has changed since the 1970s due to the development of new information technologies. With the concept of informational capitalism, Castells wants to emphasize the role of information in society. Above all, he would like to point out that, under the new technological conditions, the handling of information and its dissemination are of fundamental importance. Capitalism is informational because the productivity of this type of economy depends on the production, processing and application of information.

Castells mentions informational capitalism in the context of his social analysis of the network society, also in connection with globality and networking. All of these phenomena cannot be seen independently of one another in Castells, which is why he uses the terms “informational” and “global capitalism” both to describe the new economic system.

Contextual classification

Informational capitalism can be classified in Manuel Castell's diagnosis of the network society. In his work on the network society, he shows three major social developments in computerization . First, Castells believes that there has been an information technology revolution since the 1970s that began in the US and has spread globally. The starting point of the technological revolution were the three areas of information technology manufacturing, telecommunications and financial services. Technological changes have spread through these areas. The development of information and communication technologies (ICT) is central to this revolution . It led to a new technological paradigm taking hold and the prevailing social structure to be described as a network society. Second, Castells addresses the capitalist crisis around 1970. As a result, capitalism was not dissolved, but restructured. An informational capitalist mode of production has developed on the basis of new information and communication technologies. Informational capitalism is the result of this change in capitalism and is used by Castells to describe this newly developed form of economy. Third, Castells writes of changes of a social and cultural nature that led to a new culture - a real virtuality . According to Castells, this culture is changing due to the new technological conditions to the extent that a new symbolic environment is formed, "in which virtuality takes on the character of the real" (Jochen Steinbicker).

The most important development that led to the emergence of informational capitalism is the changed handling of information and knowledge (for differentiation see chapter Knowledge and Information). Knowledge and information were important in earlier revolutions and did not only gain value in the information technology revolution. What has changed, however, is that they now represent the productive forces of the newly emerging economy. Knowledge production, communication and information processing are the most important sources in informational capitalism. It is no longer based on industry and the production of material goods, but on information and knowledge. Castells sums this development in the sentence:

"It's about technologies that manipulate information, not information that manipulates technology as in previous technological revolutions."

- Manuel Castells

Industrial capitalism was based on human labor, industrial capital and mass production. Informational capitalism represents a break in this economic system. It is shaped by a new understanding of knowledge and a changed relationship between capital , work and knowledge. After an increase in production between 1950 and 1973, industrial capitalism became saturated and productivity declined in the following years. By striving for profitability and competitiveness, companies took advantage of new technologies and opened up new markets. As a result of deregulation and the integration of national markets, a global form of economy was formed, and with it a global network. In informational capitalism, information is the "raw material of networked trading processes in which the added value is primarily produced through the exchange of data, knowledge and professional know-how." (Ludger Heidbrink). This exchange of knowledge, data and information increased productivity again. Informational capitalism no longer moves only on a political-economic level, but on a global level through globalization and the global integration of local and national markets. Information capitalism is characterized on the one hand by the new technological paradigm and on the other by the globalization of trade, investment, production and consumption. Therefore it is not tied to geographical or national borders and markets. Actors in information capitalism are predominantly global companies and corporate networks . According to Christian Fuchs, the global network structure is the result of the modern antagonisms of competition / competition and cooperation.

In summary, informational capitalism is characterized by three characteristics:

  1. It is no longer energy, but information and knowledge that are important for productivity and competitiveness.
  2. Companies organize themselves in networks.
  3. Important economic transactions take place globally and in real time .

The dominant mode of production has developed from agriculture to production and then to services and information. In addition to the three economic sectors (agriculture, production and services), we speak of a quaternary sector - the information sector. Even if the information sector is becoming increasingly important, that does not mean that the other sectors are decreasing or becoming less important. The new technologies, however, make it possible for all sectors to become more informational. Electronic data processing makes more and more areas knowledge-based. The term information sector has not yet caught on everywhere, which is why employment figures (in Germany) are only available for the three common sectors.

Concept history

The work The rise of the network society in which Castells the concept of informational capitalism coined, was first published in 1996 in English under the title The Rise of the Network Society as the first volume of the trilogy The Information Age . There the phenomenon is called informational capitalism . The German translation of the three volumes was first published in 2001-2003 under the title The Information Age; the first volume appeared in 2001. Castells introduces the concept of informational capitalism in order to describe the newly emerged form of economy that has developed in connection with informatization and the rise of the information society . However, he himself uses the term only once in this first volume; mostly he speaks of an "informational economy" in more general terms. In the third volume, turn of the millennium , he uses the term informational capitalism more actively.

The term is used synonymously, for example, by Peter A. Berger and Heike Kahlert in a conference contribution to Castells trilogy. In 2013 the term was taken up in the concise dictionary of German society to describe the capitalist information society in the entry on the information society. It is also used in Jochen Steinbicker's work on the theory of the information society to compare different theoretical approaches to the topic. Informational capitalism was also used by Rudi Schmiede to use Castells to describe the core of the contemporary diagnoses of the knowledge and information society.

The term is used in the literature by the authors as Castells understood and used it. As with Castells, the terms informational and global capitalism are not always clearly delimited and are often used together. The more general term economy is also used instead of capitalism.

Areas of application are mainly work in relation to the network and information society . Application examples are an analysis of intellectual property in informational capitalism and an analysis of work in informational capitalism. But the term informational capitalism is also used in other specialist areas such as gender research , in this case as an analytical framework for a social theory that is informed by gender theory .

Knowledge and information

Knowledge and information are important components of informational capitalism. Social diagnoses of time were dedicated to both ( knowledge society and information society ). The two diagnoses of the time, however, disregard the capitalist aspect of society, which is taken into account in the concept of informational capitalism.

In knowledge management, a knowledge staircase has been developed that clarifies the distinction between information and knowledge. Information is data without meaning. They are only data that are sent or received. Yet they have no context. Knowledge is tied to a subject and a context. Knowledge is dependent on interpretation and understanding. Knowledge is information that has been processed by a subject through its own intellectual performance.

Criticism of capitalism

Traditional machines were used to produce goods and products through manual labor or raw materials. In the modern machine - the computer - a knowledge product is produced with mental work through binary processing. Mental work is objectified. The spread of knowledge work, the importance of innovations and expertise shows that knowledge is just as important in modern society as work, capital and power. A special feature of knowledge and information in contrast to conventional raw materials is that they are not consumed by their use.

There are several different attitudes in the current discussion. Many discourses deal with the subject of property in informational capitalism. Property ownership is increasingly becoming intellectual property. Property rights can no longer be viewed as in Marx 's critique of political economy , since the property character of digital goods and intellectual property has changed. How this intellectual property can be protected (for example through patents) becomes important. Historically, producers were separated from their means of production. This separation was "partially abolished with the mass spread of reproduction or duplication technologies for digital goods" (Sabine Nuss). Users of the new information technologies - especially the Internet - are developing more and more from consumers to producers ( prosumers ), as they themselves create and help shape the online content. On the one hand, it is criticized that these prosumers are exploited because they produce for free. Large companies such as Facebook or Google benefit from the activities of the users, which can be described as work. The value of this work is created by the fact that organizations appropriate the common good created. On the other hand, it is argued that today's free work on social media platforms should no longer be viewed with Marx's theory of value. For Marx, the value of labor depended on the time it took. Today work is too complex and value too abstract. The direct connection between work and time no longer exists in this way today; and due to the division of labor and cooperation, the individual work of the individual can often no longer be identified. Personal branding , reputation , self-esteem and influence become more important for the value . In informational capitalism, information can be a commodity, service, common good, private property or a mixture of all of these. Their value is measured less in money than in interest and their dissemination. Therefore it is the task of the critique of capitalism to identify these new forms of property and use.

Related terms

In the field of contemporary diagnoses, knowledge and information society , there are many terms that describe similar phenomena and are also difficult to distinguish from one another. There are also some related terms related to informational capitalism.

In the course of explaining informational capitalism, Rudi Schmiede mentions some related terms such as digital capitalism or knowledge capitalism . Digital capitalism means that digitization encompasses more and more areas of the economy, and is mainly used in political discourse . Knowledge capitalism is based on the knowledge society diagnosis of the time, but describes the same thing as informational capitalism.

Manual Castells distinguishes itself preceded by the adjective informationally from information-based capitalism from, since he wants to emphasize not only the presence of information in capitalism but the changed handling of information and knowledge.

According to Castells, informational capitalism is not only informational, but also global, and is therefore closely linked to global capitalism . This term describes "an economy whose core components have the institutional, organizational and technological ability to function as a unit in real time or at a selected time on a global level" (Manuel Castells).

In current research on capitalism, the focus is also specifically on these networks that Castells speaks of. In this context, Nick Srnicek has a book on the 2016 platform capitalism ( Platform Capitalism released). It also looks at the development of new information technologies and focuses on the utilization of data (instead of information) on the Internet and the development of platforms as a business concept.

literature

Primary literature

  • Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. Blackwell, Cambridge 1996, ISBN 1-55786-616-3 .
  • Manuel Castells: The Rise of the Network Society. The information age (= economy, society, culture. Volume 1). VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2001, ISBN 3-8100-3223-9 .
  • Manuel Castells: turn of the millennium. The information age (= economy, society, culture. Volume 3). VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 3-8100-3225-5 .

Secondary literature

  • Nina Degele: Heteronormativity criticism light: Manuel Castells' contribution to a social theory informed by gender theory. In: H. Kahlert, C. Weinbach (Ed.): Contemporary social theories and gender research. Social Theories and Gender. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-531-19936-8 , pp. 38–43.
  • Ludger Heidbrink: How the information confuses us: Manuel Castells trilogy about the network society is now completely in German . In: The time . No. 19/2003.
  • Rudi Schmiede: Knowledge and work in 'Informational Capitalism'. In: Andrea Baukrowitz, Thomas Berker, Sabine Pfeiffer, Rudi Schmiede (eds.): Informatization of work - society in upheaval. Ed. Sigma, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89404-547-7 , pp. 457-490.
  • Rudi Schmiede: Informational Capitalism and Subject. In: Martin Kronauer, Julijana Ranc, Andreas Klärner (eds.): Border crossings: reflections on a barbaric century. Humanities Online, Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 3-934157-49-1 , pp. 244-254 ( online ).
  • Jochen Steinbicker: On the theory of the information society. A comparison of the approaches of Peter Drucker, Daniel Bell and Manuell Castells. 2nd edition, VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-18054-0 , pp. 79-109.
  • Christian Fuchs: Internet and society. Social theory in the Internet age (= Routledge research in information technology and society. Volume 8). Routledge, New York / Abingdon 2008, ISBN 978-0-415-96132-5 .
  • Adam Arvidsson, Elanor Colleoni: Value in Informational Capitalism and on the Internet. In: The Information Society: An International Journal. Volume 28, Number 3, 2012, pp. 135-146.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-11321-6 , pp. 104f.
  2. ↑ Nina Degele: Heteronormativitätskritik light: Manuel Castells' contribution to a gender-theoretically informed social theory. In: H. Kahlert, C. Weinbach (Ed.): Contemporary social theories and gender research. Social Theories and Gender. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-531-19936-8 , p. 41f.
  3. ↑ Jochen Steinbicker: On the theory of the information society. A comparison of the approaches of Peter Drucker, Daniel Bell and Manuell Castells. 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-18054-0 , pp. 79-82.
  4. ↑ Jochen Steinbicker: On the theory of the information society. A comparison of the approaches of Peter Drucker, Daniel Bell and Manuell Castells. 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-18054-0 , p. 99.
  5. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-11321-6 , p. 36.
  6. ^ A b c Ludger Heidbrink: Networks: How information confuses us . In: The time . April 30, 2003, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed January 31, 2018]).
  7. ↑ Jochen Steinbicker: On the theory of the information society. A comparison of the approaches of Peter Drucker, Daniel Bell and Manuell Castells. 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-18054-0 , p. 83.
  8. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-11321-6 , p. 81.
  9. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-11321-6 , pp. 98-115.
  10. ↑ G. Parayil: Political Economy and Information Capitalism in India. gital Divide, Development Divide and Equity . Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills / Basingstoke / Hampshire / New York 2005, ISBN 1-4039-9244-4 , pp. 1 f .
  11. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-11321-6 , p. 89.
  12. ^ Christian Fuchs: Routledge, New York / Abingdon 2008, ISBN 978-0-415-96132-5 , p. 120.
  13. ↑ Manuell Castells: Information Technology and Global Capitalism . In: Will Hutton, Anthony Giddens (eds.): The future of global capitalism . Campus Verlag, Frankfurt 2001, ISBN 3-593-36839-0 , pp. 68 .
  14. ↑ Timo Daum: From Big Industry to Information Society Understanding Digital Capitalism | Part 3. In: dasfilter.com. April 6, 2015, accessed April 11, 2018 .
  15. ^ Sabine Nuss: Copyright & Copyriot. Conflicts of appropriation over intellectual property in informational capitalism. Westfälisches Dampfboot Verlag, Münster 2006, ISBN 3-89691-647-5 , p. 31
  16. ↑ Destatis Federal Statistical Office: Employees in Germany by economic sector in Germany. In: Destatis Federal Statistical Office. January 2, 2018, accessed April 11, 2018 .
  17. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. Blackwell, Cambridge 1996, ISBN 1-55786-616-3 .
  18. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2001, ISBN 3-8100-3223-9 .
  19. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-11321-6 , p. 21.
  20. ↑ Manuel Castells: Turn of the millennium. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 3). VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 3-8100-3225-5 .
  21. ↑ Peter A. Berger, Heike Kahlert: Everything 'networked'? Social structure and identity in the 'brave new world' of informational capitalism. In: Sociological Review. Vol. 27, H. 1, January 2004, pp. 3-11.
  22. ^ Jochen Steinbicker: Information Society. In: S. Mau, NM Schöneck (Hrsg.): Concise dictionary for society in Germany. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2013, pp. 408-421.
  23. ↑ Jochen Steinbicker: On the theory of the information society. A comparison of the approaches of Peter Drucker, Daniel Bell and Manuell Castells. 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-18054-0 , pp. 79-109.
  24. ↑ Rudi Schmiede: Informational Capitalism and Subject. In: Martin Kronauer, Julijana Ranc, Andreas Klärner (eds.): Border walks: reflections on a barbaric century; for Helmut Dahmer. Humanities Online, Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 3-934157-49-1 , pp. 244-254. URN: https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle/document/25615
  25. ^ Sabine Nuss: Copyright & Copyriot. Conflicts of appropriation over intellectual property in informational capitalism. Westfälisches Dampfboot Verlag, Münster 2006, ISBN 3-89691-647-5 .
  26. ↑ Rudi Schmiede: Knowledge and work in 'Informational Capitalism'. In: Andrea Baukrowitz, Thomas Berker, Sabine Pfeiffer, Rudi Schmiede (eds.): Informatization of work - society in upheaval. Ed. Sigma, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89404-547-7 .
  27. ↑ Nina Degele: Heteronormativitätskritik light: Manuel Castells' contribution to a gender-theoretically informed social theory. In: H. Kahlert, C. Weinbach (Ed.): Contemporary social theories and gender research. Social Theories and Gender. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-531-19936-8 , pp. 38–43.
  28. ^ Sabine Nuss: Copyright & Copyriot. Conflicts of appropriation over intellectual property in informational capitalism. Westfälisches Dampfboot Verlag, Münster 2006, ISBN 3-89691-647-5 , p. 32
  29. ^ Klaus North, Andreas Brandner, Thomas Steininger: Knowledge management for quality managers. Fulfillment of the requirements according to ISO 9001: 2015 . Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden 2016, ISBN 978-3-658-11249-3 , p. 5 f .
  30. ↑ Rudi Schmiede: Knowledge and work in 'Informational Capitalism'. In: Andrea Baukrowitz, Thomas Berker, Sabine Pfeiffer, Rudi Schmiede (eds.): Informatization of work - society in upheaval. Ed. Sigma, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89404-547-7 , p. 14
  31. ^ Christian Fuchs: Internet and Society. Social Theory in the Information Age . Routledge, New York / Abingdon 2008, ISBN 978-0-415-96132-5 , pp. 116-119, 209 .
  32. ^ Sabine Nuss: Copyright & Copyriot. Conflicts of appropriation over intellectual property in informational capitalism. Westfälisches Dampfboot Verlag, Münster 2006, ISBN 3-89691-647-5 , p. 219.
  33. ↑ Adam Arvidsson & Elanor Colleoni (2012): Value in Informational Capitalism and on the Internet, The Information Society: An International Journal, 28: 3, 135-146
  34. ↑ Timo Daum: This capitalism doesn't work? Understanding Digital Capitalism II | Part 1. In: dasfilter.com. May 16, 2016, accessed April 12, 2018 .
  35. ↑ Rudi Schmiede: Knowledge and work in 'Informational Capitalism'. In: Andrea Baukrowitz, Thomas Berker, Sabine Pfeiffer, Rudi Schmiede (eds.): Informatization of work - society in upheaval. Ed. Sigma, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89404-547-7 , p. 456.
  36. ^ Friedrich Ebert Foundation: Discussion: Digital Capitalism - Revolution or Hype? November 14, 2017, accessed January 31, 2018 .
  37. ↑ Christian Fuchs: Knowledge Capitalism and Unconditional Basic Income . In: Network Basic Income and Social Cohesion Austria, Network Basic Income Germany (Ed.): Basic Income - To be active in freedom . Avinus, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 978-3-930064-73-1 , p. 187 .
  38. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-11321-6 , p. 116.
  39. ↑ Manuel Castells: The rise of the network society. The information age. (= Economy, society, culture. Volume 1). 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2017, ISBN 978-3-658-11321-6 , p. 118.