Towards a critical theory of communication as renewal and update of Marxist humanism in the age of digital capitalism

Christian Fuchs

doi:10.1111/jtsb.12247

Abstract

AbstractThis paper's task is to outline some foundations of a critical, Marxist‐humanist theory of communication in the age of digital capitalism. It theorises the role of communication in society, communication and alienation, communication in social struggles, social struggles for democratic communication, the contradictions of digital capitalism, and struggles for digital socialist humanism.Marxist humanism is a counter‐narrative, counter‐theory, and counter‐politics to neoliberalism, new authoritarianism, and postmodernism. A critical theory of communication can should draw on this intellectual tradition. Communication and work stand in a dialectical relationship. Communication mediates, organises and is the process of the production of sociality and therefore of the reproduction of society. Society and communication are in class and capitalist societies shaped by the antagonism between instrumental and co‐operative reason. Authoritarianism and humanism are two basic, antagonistic modes of organisation of society and communication. Instrumental reason creates and universalises alienation.Digital capitalism is a dimension of contemporary society where digital technologies such as the computer, the Internet, the mobile phone, tablets, robots, and AI‐driven (“smart”) technologies mediate the accumulation of capital, influence, and reputation. A Marxist‐humanist theory of communication aims to inform struggles for a good, commons‐based, public Internet in a good, commons‐based society that has a vivid, democratic public sphere.

Highlights

This paper's task is to outline some foundations of a critical, Marxist-humanist theory of communication in the age of digital capitalism.Since the 1980s, Marxist theory has become unfashionable
Identity politics and cultural reductionism replaced class politics and political economy. In his last interview before his death, Stuart Hall, who championed poststructuralism and identity politics in Cultural Studies, remarked on contemporary theory that “in its attempt to move away from economic reductionism, it sort of forgot that there was an economy at all” (Jhally, 2016, p. 337) and that it is a “real weakness” that there is a lack of engagement with the “Marxist tradition of critical thinking” (Jhally, 2016, p. 338)
This article has argued for the renewal of Marxist humanism and humanist socialism in 21st century digital capitalism

Summary

Introduction

This paper's task is to outline some foundations of a critical, Marxist-humanist theory of communication in the age of digital capitalism.Since the 1980s, Marxist theory has become unfashionable. KEYWORDS alienation, critical theory of communication, digital capitalism, digital socialism, Marxist humanism, praxis communication David Harvey (2018) argues that alienation is a universal process that extends beyond economic production into the realisation of value, the consumption and distribution of commodities, politics, culture, and social life.

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