Mid Term Prep
5️⃣

Mid Term Prep

Dates
February 20, 2024
Type
Lecture
Reading

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff

Facilitation Reading

Chapter 4: The General Formula for Capital

Question

How do the emergence of big data and the erosion of privacy contribute to a sense of alienation in the digital economy?

Section
The Economy of the Social Media Era

Lecture Notes

Student Facilitation

Chapter 4: "The General Formula for Capital "

Questions

The Role of Money in the Transformation into Capital: How does Marx describe the role of money in the process of transforming value into capital in Chapter 4, and how can this process be paralleled to the monetization strategies of Web 2.0 platforms, where user data and content are key?

Circulation of Commodities vs. Circulation of Capital: Chapter 4 of "Capital" distinguishes between the circulation of commodities and the circulation of capital. How does this distinction apply to the circulation of digital content and data on social media platforms?

The Impact of Capital Transformation on Labor and Value: In what ways does the transformation of money into capital, as described by Marx, affect the perception and value of labor, especially in the context of digital labor on social media platforms?

Marx's Concept of Surplus Value in the Digital Economy: How can Marx's insights into the generation of surplus value in the process of capital formation be related to the creation of value in digital media platforms, where user interaction and data are central?

To Do

5 Minutes: Brainstorm concepts that you’re interested in & write them down. Go back and review some of the previous classes
5 Minutes - develop those concepts into three or four potential topics. Write down a sentence for each topic (that you feel you could develop your content around). Then, write down why you think it’s a workable topic. Next, write down a few points where you might struggle. At this point, you should pick a social channel as well.
15 minutes: Present your topic to your group and explain your interest and why you think it’s a good topic. You’ll stumble over your words, and be a bit confused! That’s a good sign. The group should give you feedback & ideas. Then, it’s your turn to listen and provide constructive ideas and concepts. Help each other build and idea. Call out sources that might be useful from class so that everyone comes away with some idea of class materials that will be useful for the midterm.

Before you leave class, write down your polished idea along with three or four ideas for content. You should also have decided firmly on what type of content you’ll create and what channel (media) you’ll publish it on. This should prepare you for your midterm.