Network Production

Abstract

The previous chapter looked at the transformations in the world of work in the confines of the workplace. It asked how, according to the digital discourse, the old dynamics of work and structures of power in the industrial workplace have been transformed by their integration into network technology and how this has transformed the social structure in general. The current chapter ventures out of these boundaries and examines the digital discourse at the intersection of network technology and the process of production in general and the completely new dynamics that it brings about. According to the digital discourse, network technology does not simply change how companies do business and how production is carried out within the traditional workplace; it also makes a complete transformation of the very process of production. The chapter asks what, according to the digital discourse, happens to the process of production when it is integrated with network technology. Specifically, how are labor and production reshaped and redefined, and what are the broader social ramifications of these transformations? In short, what is network production?KeywordsOpen SourceAssembly LineInitial Public OfferingNetwork TechnologyNetwork ProductionThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.