Marx’s Value Theory: a Critical Response to Analyses of Digital Prosumption

Authors

Edward Comor, University of Western OntarioFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2015

Volume

31

Issue

1

Journal

Information Society

First Page

13

URL with Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2015.977627

Last Page

19

Abstract

Abstract

In their assessment of value creation through prosumption and other activities related to the use of digital technologies, despite significant differences, Fuchs (2010) and Arvidsson and Colleoni (2012) misinterpret Marx's value theory. Through their analyses, a totalizing or new form of capitalism is said to have emerged, but these, I argue, entail demonstrably idealist theorizations. The end result is that these authors occlude more than they clarify in their debates concerning value, exploitation, and the role played by digital technologies. However, once we understand the precision needed to apply Marx's complex theory—including his conceptualization of “labor power” and the distinction he makes between “productive” and “unproductive” labor—it becomes apparent that a more careful reading of Marx is a priority.