Political economy of search engine and social media
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Transcript of Political economy of search engine and social media
A Study of New Media: A Political Economy Study on Commodification of Privacy and Freedom of
Expression within Search Engine and Social Media in the Internet
Adi Wibowo Octavianto
Social Media Users are increasing
Socialbakers.com
For capitalist point of view this is a potential
market
Political economy perspective on this phenomena
political economy as the study of the social relations, particularly the power relations, that mutually constitute the production,
distribution, and consumption of resources
(Mosco, 1996; p.25)Resources: Media products such as news papers, magazine, television
programs etc
This paper discusses the power relations that occur between the online service
capitalist and the service users
Political economy analysis can be performed through three entry points or process;
commodification (contents, users, labors)
spatialization,
and structuration
Commodification
The process of commodification describes the way capitalism carries out its objective of accumulating capital or realizing value through the transformation of use values
into exchange values (Mosco, 1996 ;p.140)
Entry point use: Commodification of audience
Previous relevant study:
Mattelart (1991): Marketing Firms become the provider of valuable information about consumers,
Smythe (1971): The primary product of mass media is the audience, audience is a media labor
The Process of Commodification
Search engine and social media are not free
To convince people the providers must offer benefits/use value
The needs of social media and search engine have create and maintain
Creating the needs
The needs is natural and wanted: the need to get information as fast and comprehensive as possible, the need to connect, collaborate and share in the social context. Necessity in network society
certain values have to implant in people mind through symbols and associate that symbols and value with positive response. Eg: googling, twiting, facebooking, democratic, freedom of expression
Consumers have to participate in consumption. Not just using but also promote to others
(based on patterson model, 2003)
Privacy
Popular descriptions are such expression such as privacy is the individual right to determine whether and to what extent one is willing to expose oneself to others and privacy is the right to be left alone.
In legal theory, privacy is a particular right of freedom
Freedom from intrusion into areas of one’s own life that one has not explicitly or implicity opened to others (Holmes in Djik 2006)
Information privacy: related to individual control to keep personal data, including to information and decisions based on those data. Informational privacy is the right to selective disclosure of personal data (Djik, 2006)
Commodification of privacy and freedom of expression
Voluntary Panopticon surveillance participation by users to keep honest data filling. Google creedo: don’t be evil
Privacy as new currency to get access
Capital power persuade that privacy in digital world is no longer relevant issue to concern (Facebook)
Normatively users can control their own personal data. Online services should have users explisit permission to use or sell the data
In reality some service providers share the privacy data to the third party without users’ consent (Dybward, 2010)
Capitalist strategy to preserve control
Network society is a must
Communication technology is the way to create the more democratic and freedom society
Honest personal data are important to deliver personal and customize services. Although in reality that kind of data are economic and political assets
Hegemonic process in commodification
Hegemony is process of constituting the common sense (Gramsci)
Hegemoni dapat digunakan untuk menjelaskan mengapa exploitasi privasi individu yang dipertukarkan dengan kebebasan untuk menggunakan layanan online dapat diterima oleh masyarakat kapitalis. Nilai tukar yang terkait dengan nilai guna menjadi salah satu konsep utama kapitalisme. Prinsip neoclasiccal ekonomi misalnya menyatakan bahwa dengan pengorbanan sekecil-kecilnya harus didapat keuntungan sebesar-besarnya.
Kita menyerahkan kontrol terhadap privasi kita untuk dipertukarkan dengan hak untuk menggunakan layanan yang menjanjikan kebebasan untuk berekspresi dan mencari informasi di dunia maya.