Digital Automation Research Articles

Appraising Education 4.0 in Nigeria’s Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study of Built Environment Programmes

In the era of digitalisation, the construction industry is fast embracing digital technology, which evolved from Industry 4.0 (fourth industrial revolution [4IR]). Built environment programmes (BEPs) are expected to meet the needs of the digitalisation era via Education 4.0. Education 4.0 aims to transform education’s future with diverse digital automation and innovative paedagogical procedures. Studies concerning Education 4.0 in Nigeria’s BEPs are scarce. Hence, this study aims to appraise Education 4.0 and investigate the perceived issues facing implementing Education 4.0 in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), using BEPs as a case study. The findings intend to improve Education 4.0 implementation practices in BEPs. Data were sourced from 40 participants across Nigeria for better coverage and representation via a semi-structured interview approach. The participants were knowledgeable about Education 4.0 and Nigeria’s BEPs. This study adopted a thematic analysis of the virtually collected data and presented the findings in themes. This study shows that Education 4.0 implementation in Nigeria’s BEPs is lax and should be overhauled to improve achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)—quality education—and other related SDGs. The findings reveal that improved Education 4.0 can enhance the achievement of SDG 4. The findings cluster the perceived 18 hindrances facing Education 4.0 implementation into three main groups. Also, the findings proffer feasible measures to improve Education 4.0 implementation in Nigeria’s HEIs, using BEPs as a case study, via improved transformative competencies, technological advancement, innovative paedagogical procedures, and stakeholders’ collaboration to improve achieving SDG 4. The proposed framework could assist in creating new values and transforming the students’ BEP competencies via stakeholder collaboration and Education 4.0 for the private sector (future talents’ beneficiary), thus fostering their employability.

A hybrid-fuzzy-decision-making framework for digital technologies selection

In the era of Industry X.0, manufacturers are increasingly adopting digital technologies such as robotics, big data, mobile communications, and information technology to enhance productivity and profitability. However, navigating this digital revolution presents significant challenges, particularly in selecting the most suitable technologies amidst uncertainties and the lack of precise quantitative data. Fuzzy logic, initially introduced to manage vagueness and imprecision, has proven to be an essential tool in various domains for handling these uncertainties. However, as systems and environments become more complex, traditional fuzzy logic exhibits limitations in effectively representing and managing deeper levels of uncertainty. This realization has driven the development of several extensions to fuzzy logic, designed to address challenges associated with uncertainty representation. Yet, a central question remains: Which fuzzy logic extension is the most relevant for better dealing with uncertainty? This study introduces a hybrid-fuzzy decision-making framework for technology selection, which allows for more than one representation of fuzzy information. Using a multi-expert, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) strategy, the study seeks to support organizations in selecting the most suitable digital technology for their operations, particularly when precise quantitative data is unavailable, and decisions must rely on expert opinions. The suggested framework is designed to handle decision-makers' hesitancy, subjectivity, and ambiguity in the decision-making process. To showcase the practical application of the proposed methodology, a case study was conducted to select appropriate technologies in the Moroccan automotive sector. The results demonstrate that, regardless of the fuzzy logic extension used, digital automation and automatic identification consistently rank among the top technologies, underscoring their importance according to most experts. Our proposed approach is particularly effective in resolving conflicts between different fuzzy logic extensions, thereby facilitating the ranking of the remaining technologies. Notably, additive manufacturing ranked third, followed by the other technologies.

B-128 Delivering Predictable Operational efficiency gains at our core central reference laboratory with strategic deployment of navify® Lab Operation informatics automation solution

Abstract Background Metropolis Healthcare Limited (‘MHL’) operates a network of 200 clinical labs in India, our Global Reference Lab (GRL) in Mumbai processes over 25000 tests in a 17 hour daily operation. We are an ISO15189 and CAP accredited laboratory. Our strategic goals have been to bring operational standardization across the network & Improve speed of service with a predictable 90 percentile production TAT. To achieve this goal, we chose digitalization of our laboratory operation with the deployment of navify ® Lab Operations informatics automation solution in. This poster explains our journey of planning, implementing, and delivering on our goal of predictable operational efficiency. The digital solution is at the forefront of all digitalization IQC processes, auto validation and auto approval of patient results passing through a framework of autoverification rules and complete traceability of processes. Methods The poster will explain the scope, planning and implementation approach of this digital automation project at Global reference Lab in 5 stepsHL7 order structure for communication between LIS and navify ® Lab Operations22 analyzers from 11 different manufacturers being connected to the Informatics solution. the corresponding testingTest & IQC (Internal Quality Control) Master with specific ranges and rules10 steps AV (Auto verification) Rules decision framework of concentric sieves across lab disciplines (155 AV Algorithms have been configured at GRL)Structured user acceptance testing framework before Go Live. Results This poster discusses the outcomes that we have seen on deployment of this digital solution.Over 25,000 test results are subject AV engine daily with AV rate of 75 % of all results in Biochemistry, Immunoassays.66 % of all Complete Blood Count (CBC) reports 95 % of all HbA1c results 93 % of all ESR resultsOver 1750 QC results are subject to QC rules dailyThere is an improvement of 4 hours observed in production TAT Conclusions Laboratory Informatics solution has enhanced lab performance in terms of TAT & efficiency of review. The staff satisfaction (both technical and medical) has increased and we see an impact on production outcome. The poster will also show an incremental effectiveness analysis by comparing key performance areas such as predictability in production, staff time saved, before and after technology deployment.

Digital automation and working life of HR practitioners: a gender analysis of the implications for workforce and work practices

Human Resources (HR) has emerged as a critical target for digital automation, aiming to reduce costs, improve quality, and expedite repetitive processes within organizations. Several literature reviews have explored this topic, yielding mixed results depending on factors related to the specific national and organizational context. They have highlighted issues such as lack of competence, safety and ethical dilemmas, and bias in decision-making processes. However, despite HR being predominantly female dominated, few studies have examined the gendered implications of digital automation in this field. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the gendered implications of digital automation in recruitment processes and work practices within HR. Drawing upon gender theory, we will conduct a critical literature review based on existing reviews to reevaluate current knowledge. The findings suggest that while digital automation can enhance administrative efficiency in recruitment processes, it does not significantly impact the gender balance of the workforce. However, the findings also indicate that digital automation will likely transform the occupational role into a more masculinized way of working. This transformation is characterized by social distancing, technological rationality, and reliance on self-service systems. In conclusion, digital automation is poised to reshape the HR occupation into what we term “screen-level HR,” comprising a predominantly female workforce engaged in masculine coded work practices.

Retrospective evaluation of patients admitted to the emergency department due to drowning

Introduction: Drowning is a preventable process that can result in respiratory failure and death, and often occurs accidentally. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the demographic characteristics and clinical course of the patients admitted to our emergency department in a district neighbouring a lake due to drowning. Methods: Demographic characteristics, time of presentation, swimming ability, accident mechanism, predisposing factors, Glasgow coma scores (GCS), treatment, discharge, hospitalisation decisions, and mortality status of all patients admitted to our emergency department between January 2018 and January 2023 were recorded retrospectively from patient files and the digital automation system. Results: Twenty (66.7%) patients were male and 10 (33.3%) were female; the patients wereaged between 6 months and 59 years, with a mean age of 14.06 years. An analysis of the site of incident revealed that 26 cases (86.6%) drowned in the lake and 4 cases (13.3%) drowned in a water canal. When we analysed the predisposing factors, it was found that one of the cases drowned after an accidental fall while walking on the rocks and one of the cases drowned after having chest pain and syncope. Among the cases with a GCS of 3, 1 of them died in the intensive care unit after 12 hours, 3 of them recovered with tracheostomy sequelae, and the remaining 14 cases died in the emergency department. Mortality was not observed in any of the 12 cases with a GCS of 14 or above. Fourteen cases died in the emergency department, 11 were referred to the intensive care unit, and 5 cases were discharged after emergency department follow-up. When we classified the patients according to Szpilman's clinical classification system, 8 cases were classified as Grade1, 4 cases as Grade 2, 16 cases as Grade 5, and 2 cases as Grade 6. Conclusion: Raising awareness of families with children and increasing the necessary safety measures in water canals in summer months and in lakes is believed to reduce drowning-induced mortality. In addition to preventing drowning cases, providing the public with first aid training for drowning and healthcare professionals with appropriate assessment, intervention, and treatment algorithms may further reduce mortality.

Robots and the rise of European superstar firms

We study how a recent digital automation technology—industrial robots—is associated with the distribution of sales, productivity, markups, and profits within industries. Our empirical analysis combines data on the industry-level stock of industrial robots with firms' balance sheet data for six European countries from 2004 to 2013. We find that industries with high robot exposure are characterized by dis-proportional increases in productivity in those firms that are already most productive to begin with. Those firms are able to increase their markups and overall profits, while less profitable firms within the same industry, country and year tend to see declining markups and profits. We also find that variation in robot exposure across industries is correlated with declining labor income shares, mainly through adjustments within firms that are initially large, productive and have low labor cost-to -sales ratios. In sum, our paper suggests that European manufacturing industries with higher robot adoption rates experience a stronger emergence of superstar firms and more pronounced shifts of the functional income distribution away from wages and towards profits.

Ensuring the safety of train traffic by introducing innovative systems

The article discusses issues of train traffic safety. When considering competitive advantage when choosing modes of transport, special attention is paid to such a criterion as the quality of the services provided. One of the characteristics of the quality of railway transport services is the safety of train traffic. A questionnaire was conducted to identify the causes of traffic safety violations, and the main causes of non-standard situations were identified. One of the reasons for traffic safety violations is the human factor. It is proposed to reduce cases of non-standard and emergency situations through the introduction of digital automation technologies, such as the “shunting automatic locomotive alarm” (MALS) system. The technology relates to the field of railway automation, which can be implemented for use on locomotives in order to improve traffic safety, through competent regulation of train movement, as well as shunting work at the railway station. Timely control eliminates the transmission of erroneous (incorrect) information to the MALS, which eliminates the formation of false commands in locomotives and thereby reduces the number of non-standard and emergency situations in transport. This system will allow for a comprehensive modernization of existing signaling devices, automation of shunting work and more rational use of locomotives at the station, thereby improving the logistics process.

SDC-Net++: End-to-End Crash Detection and Action Control for Self-Driving Car Deep-IoT-Based System.

Few prior works study self-driving cars by deep learning with IoT collaboration. SDC-Net, which is an end-to-end multitask self-driving car camera cocoon IoT-based system, is one of the research areas that tackles this direction. However, by design, SDC-Net is not able to identify the accident locations; it only classifies whether a scene is a crash scene or not. In this work, we introduce an enhanced design for the SDC-Net system by (1) replacing the classification network with a detection one, (2) adapting our benchmark dataset labels built on the CARLA simulator to include the vehicles' bounding boxes while keeping the same training, validation, and testing samples, and (3) modifying the shared information via IoT to include the accident location. We keep the same path planning and automatic emergency braking network, the digital automation platform, and the input representations to formulate the comparative study. The SDC-Net++ system is proposed to (1) output the relevant control actions, especially in case of accidents: accelerate, decelerate, maneuver, and brake, and (2) share the most critical information to the connected vehicles via IoT, especially the accident locations. A comparative study is also conducted between SDC-Net and SDC-Net++ with the same input representations: front camera only, panorama and bird's eye views, and with single-task networks, crash avoidance only, and multitask networks. The multitask network with a BEV input representation outperforms the nearest representation in precision, recall, f1-score, and accuracy by more than 15.134%, 12.046%, 13.593%, and 5%, respectively. The SDC-Net++ multitask network with BEV outperforms SDC-Net multitask with BEV in precision, recall, f1-score, accuracy, and average MSE by more than 2.201%, 2.8%, 2.505%, 2%, and 18.677%, respectively.

A Panoramic View of Trust in the Time of Digital Automated Decision Making – Failings of Trust in the Post Office and the Tax Authorities

Abstract The ongoing Post Office scandal in the UK and the 2021 Child Daycare Benefit Scandal in the Netherlands make up exemplary cases of how digital automation has changed and in fact severely harmed trust relations ranging from trust in oneself over trust in social roles, trust in institutions, trust in technology and general trust. By looking closer at how digital automation in these cases generated ruptures in the lives of ordinary citizens and also affected the involved institutions and society at large I discuss how we may begin to discuss the impact of digitalization on trust in societies. I start with an introduction to the panoramic view of trust, followed by a short description of the two scandals. Based on the exploration of the two cases I take an ex post facto perspective on the dynamic social events as they unfolded in the scandals in order to analyze how the introduction of digital automation tools affected trust relations. I draw attention to some of the most noticeable changes in the four relations of trust, which is trust in institutions, interpersonal trust, trust in oneself and trust in technology.

Industry 4.0 technologies for cultivated meat manufacturing

AbstractIndustry 4.0 integrates the physical, digital, and biological realms by applying digital automation in systems, processes, and manufacturing facilities. Industry 4.0 is actively shaping the development of intelligent food processing industries in cultivated meat (CM) sector. This integration plays a crucial role in accelerating progress within the global CM sector, facilitating the achievement of its objectives related to food sustainability, security, human health, environmental concerns, and hygiene. Incorporating Industry 4.0 into CM manufacturing systems empowers upstream and downstream production processes to become more intelligent and capable of self‐optimisation. However, enabling rapid adoption of Industry 4.0 by emerging startups and small to medium‐sized enterprises in the CM industry necessitates a thorough understanding of prerequisites and evaluation of technological and biological limitations. Challenges include the substantial initial costs associated with establishing Industry 4.0 infrastructure, robust cybersecurity measures to ensure effective risk management, and acquiring skilled professionals proficient in both operational and maintenance roles. Integrating Industry 4.0 with the evolving CM sector presents an exciting opportunity to foster business‐to‐business investments across various domains, including local markets, export opportunities, and the broader global consumer ecosystem.

Dimensions of Digital Transformation for Digital Supply Chains—Evidence from an Automotive OEM Group

Overview: This article explores the implications of digital transformation on digital supply chains, particularly in a group of automotive companies. We conducted an in-depth case study in a conglomerate of companies that supply auto parts to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) located in southern Brazil. This case was intentionally chosen because of the Randon Company’s commitment to innovative practices during the digital transformation process. We identified five dimensions of digital transformation that impact digital supply chain performance: (1) digital governance, (2) smart digital networks, (3) digital empowerment, (4) digital automation, and (5) digital workforce. Demands for greater efficiency, new technologies, market differentiation, innovation, and sustainability drive digital supply chains to strongly interact with these dimensions. We propose a multidimensional framework that highlights the dynamics and interdependence of these digital transformation dimensions and how they can potentially meet digital supply chain demands. We provide managerial implications and ideas for future research.

A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework to Evaluate the Impact of Industry 5.0 Technologies: Case Study, Lessons Learned, Challenges and Future Directions

AbstractSmart technologies have demonstrated striking outcomes regarding the early diagnosis of diseases and the delivery of the necessary healthcare in the last decade. However, by emphasizing the core fundamentals of social justice and sustainability, together with digitalization and smart technologies that predicate raising productivity and flexibility, Industry 5.0 has proven to achieve more efficient results. Industry 5.0 technologies provide more intelligent ways for human employees and higher efficiency development while also improving safety and performance in many applications. In this research, the contribution is focused on the healthcare and how Industry 5.0 technologies demonstrate several advantages for the healthcare sector, starting with automated and precise disease prediction, moving on to aiding medical personnel in continual surveillance and monitoring and concluding with successful digital automation of smart equipment. The objective of this study is to apply a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach under a neutrosophic environment to evaluate the advantages of industry 5.0 technologies in the healthcare sector. Industry 5.0 primary value is to reach human-centric, sustainable, and resilient industries. While Industry 5.0 technologies sub-values regarding the healthcare sector are determined and distinguished according to the 3-main values mentioned previously based on literature. The methodologies applied in this study are: The Analytical Hierarchy approach (AHP) evaluates the main values and sub-values. Subsequently, the effectiveness of industry 5.0 technologies according to their values to the healthcare sector are ranked by Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The approach is constructed under uncertainty based on a neutrosophic environment to achieve accuracy in the evaluation process. The results show that the most influential technology in healthcare are AI and cloud computing, while nano-technology, drone technology, and robots are at the end of the ranking. While validating the suggested technique, outcome comparisons were carried out to demonstrate the benefits of the methodologies. A sensitivity study indicates that adjusting the weightings of the sub-values has no significant effect on the ranking of technologies.

Digital automation of transdermal drug delivery with high spatiotemporal resolution

Transdermal drug delivery is of vital importance for medical treatments. However, user adherence to long-term repetitive drug delivery poses a grand challenge. Furthermore, the dynamic and unpredictable disease progression demands a pharmaceutical treatment that can be actively controlled in real-time to ensure medical precision and personalization. Here, we report a spatiotemporal on-demand patch (SOP) that integrates drug-loaded microneedles with biocompatible metallic membranes to enable electrically triggered active control of drug release. Precise control of drug release to targeted locations (<1 mm2), rapid drug release response to electrical triggers (<30 s), and multi-modal operation involving both drug release and electrical stimulation highlight the novelty. Solution-based fabrication ensures high customizability and scalability to tailor the SOP for various pharmaceutical needs. The wireless-powered and digital-controlled SOP demonstrates great promise in achieving full automation of drug delivery, improving user adherence while ensuring medical precision. Based on these characteristics, we utilized SOPs in sleep studies. We revealed that programmed release of exogenous melatonin from SOPs improve sleep of mice, indicating potential values for basic research and clinical treatments.

Dancing Like No One is Looking LGBTQ+ Visibility, Equity and Belonging in Digital Automation and Control Systems and Communities

This paper examines the imperative of LGBTQ+ equity, diversity and inclusion within organizations like IFAC. It highlights IFAC’s commitment to integrating D&I principles into its activities and decision making. This paper explores the intersection of LGBTQ+ experiences with automation and control systems, emphasizing ongoing challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals. Methodological considerations for D&I research in LGBTQ+ communities are discussed, advocating for direct engagement and participative qualitative approaches. The paper addresses the marginalization of LGBTQ+ digital culture and the role of AI in perpetuating biases. With this in mind it underscores the need to expand D&I efforts to encompass equity, fostering a sense of belonging for all individuals within organizations and communities. Through these insights, the paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on promoting inclusivity and equity in professional and academic spheres. It also offers methodological guidelines for those conducting scholarly studies including the LGBTQ+ community in an automated world.

From Digital Automation to Noetic Proletarianization

This article draws on Bernard Stiegler’s insights and articulates them alongside other contemporary reflections in order to understand the psychic, social, and political issues raised by our contemporary digital hypomnesic milieu. I will explore the theoretical presuppositions underlying the functioning of digital devices to try to show that this computationalist technoscientific paradigm is based on problematic epistemological foundations, which an organological approach implicitly deconstructs. I will thereafter attempt to develop a pharmacological analysis of “generative artificial intelligence,” showing that its massive proliferation risks a new kind of “symbolic misery,” a “proletarianization” of expression and a generalization of social “disbelief.” Finally, I will try to show that the project of a “hermeneutic web” suggested by Stiegler needs to be revived and transformed in this new organological context: I will suggest some proposals to fight against attention economy and expression economy and to put computational automata in the service of collective intelligence.

Transition to synchronization-driven smart inbound logistics: an action research-oriented study

The context evolution has highlighted the need of rapidity and reactiveness for supply chains to face uncertainties, which are amplified by today’s shortage of labor and transportation capacity and increased complexity of operations. The synchronization of logistics flows, coupled with physical and digital automation technologies, is an answer to such challenges. Using an action research-oriented approach, this paper develops and documents the deployment of a reference architecture for synchronization-driven smart inbound logistics processes that could guide the synchronization of the material flows at the intersection between transportation and logistics nodes. Reflections deriving from the architecture deployment are discussed.

Dread and the automation of education: From algorithmic anxiety to a new sensibility

Accelerating digitization, algorithmic computation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, along with the increasing automation of work, communication, and everyday life, are central to critical studies of technology and political economy, as well as to public discourse concerning technology’s role in creating futures. Ongoing transformations in technological capacity have also been scrutinized for their impact on experience, emotion, and culture. Building on David Theo Goldberg’s assertion that “tracking capitalism” creates pervasive dread, this article explores how the digital automation of education, specifically, generates forms of algorithmic anxiety that impact teaching and learning, constraining pedagogical visions of alternative futures. Algorithmic anxiety in education contributes to dread’s proliferation. If dread is the “driving social sensibility” today, and algorithmic anxiety a pedagogical vector of its spread, then a less dreadful education should center an imaginative struggle for new sensibilities.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Educational Pedagogy Development: Conversational AI with User-Centric ChatGPT4

In terms of language models, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), and more specifically ChatGPT, offer a significant technological achievement as a revolutionary tool for natural language processing (NLP) and a transformative educational business tool. ChatGPT users' suggestions have the ability to optimize teaching and learning, thereby having a substantial impact on the educational environment of the twenty-first century. Educational robots are getting easier to access for a number of reasons. The human-robot cooperation that has advanced scientifically in industry 5.0 extreme digital automation, will also probably become a regular aspect of life in the days to come. This study examines the prospective uses of GenAI for NLP synthesis as well as its potential role as a conversational agent in the classroom business. GenAI's capacity to understand and produce language that is human-like by employing NLP to generate semantics was essential to its ability to replicate the most advanced human technology through comprehensive assumptions of patterns and structures it learns from its training data. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) driven conversational agents, prompt engineering has become an important aspect of digital learning. It is essential to get ready for an AI-dominated future when general and educational technologies combine. The study demonstrated how society may impact and contribute to the development of AI pedagogic learning using an instructional robotics application driven by AI, emphasizing the responsibility of humans as producers to reduce any potential misfortunes. The study highlights that since generative AI technologies have the potential to drastically change teaching and learning approaches and necessitate new ways of thinking, more research on organizational robotics, with a focus on human collaboration and education, will emerge from the technological concerns raised in this study.

Human Resource Management Digitalisation in Multidisciplinary Ship Design Companies

Abstract The digitalisation in the ship design sector is currently applied to the design process itself and is well defined, partially standardised and practically implemented by both independent design companies and the design departments of shipyards. The situation is similar in other sectors of engineering. However, the requirements for the digitalisation of other processes in design and engineering companies have not previously been studied, and the limited financial resources of ship design companies mean that there is a need for research on the digitalisation needs of multidisciplinary ship design companies. The implementation of building information modelling (BIM) solutions is costly for design companies and generates benefits mainly for shipyards and shipowners. The lack of benefits for design companies leads to the hesitation of managers whenever digitalisation is considered; the scope and scale of the digitalisation, as well as the selected software and BIM level, are defined by the shipyard requirements. The participation and support of management in the digitalisation process is one of the key success factors; the expected benefits caused by digitalisation for the organisation will increase the motivation of managers to invest limited resources in digitalisation. There are no data that indicate the processes with a high potential for digitalisation and the scale of expected improvements in ship design companies; therefore, research in this area was performed with a group of project managers from design and engineering companies. The research focused on collecting the opinions and experiences of the managers related to the manual management of resources and comparing the poll results with the conclusions from the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system data analyses. The paper analyses if the digital automation of the resource management process can lead to the substantial improvement of the operations of multi-project, multidisciplinary engineering ship design companies.

Ibn Khaldûn and the Political Economy of Communication in the Age of Digital Capitalism

Ibn Khaldûn (1332–1406) was a philosopher, historian and sociologist. This paper asks: What elements of the Political Economy of Communication are there in Ibn Khaldûn’s work and how do they matter in digital capitalism? It presents relevant passages from Khaldûn’s main work Muqaddimah and points out parallels between the Muqaddimah and works in Political Economy, especially Karl Marx’s approach of the Critique of Political Economy. The comparison of Khaldûn to Marx is not an arbitrary choice. Several scholars have pointed out parallels between the two’s works with respect to general Political Economy. It, therefore, makes sense to, also, compare Khaldûn and Marx in the context of the Political Economy of Communication. The paper analyses the relevance of Khaldûn’s ideas in digital capitalism. Khaldûn’s works are situated in the context of media and communication theory, digital automation, Facebook, Google, labour in informational and digital capitalism, Amazon, the tabloid press, fake news and post-truth culture. The analysis shows that Khaldûn’s Muqaddimah is an early work in Political Economy that can and should inform our contemporary critical analysis of communication in society, communication in capitalism and class society, ideology and digital capitalism. What connects Marx and Khaldûn is that they were critical scholars who although living at different times in different parts of the world saw the importance of the analysis of class and communication. Their works can and should inform the Political Economy of Communication and the analysis of digital capitalism.