This session of Theorizing the Web Presents looks at how wealth is created in digital economies—and at who does and does not profit. In “Software, Scanners, and Sharecroppers,” Alif Ibrahim considers workers at the very bottom of the digital production chain. Although their work is deemed “essential for human culture,” the workers themselves are largely hidden and poorly paid. In “Ambient Accumulation,” Rob Arcand uses one band’s lucrative prank album on Spotify as an opportunity to rethink forms of wealth creation that stem from the commodification of digital assets.
This episode is moderated by Dr. Britney Gil.