Marxists (globalisation)

• Frankfurt School

  1. Distracts from capitalism and stops rebellion
  2. Control our version of reality
  3. Harvest and sell data
  4. Surveillance
  5. Huge profit
• Adorno (& Frankfurt School)

  • Digital media takes up so much time and dumbs down our thinking, stopping people from becoming politically active.  
  • Algorithms are designed to be as addictive as possible which stops the working-class from becoming class-conscious.  
  • Stops rebellion further by dividing and isolating the proletariat. E.g. gaming and texting alone lowers community bonds.  
• Adorno (& Frankfurt School)

  • Digital media takes up so much time and dumbs down our thinking, stopping people from becoming politically active.  
  • Algorithms are designed to be as addictive as possible which stops the working-class from becoming class-conscious.  
  • Stops rebellion further by dividing and isolating the proletariat. E.g. gaming and texting alone lowers community bonds.  
• Examples of digital media being used to distract

  Aza Raskin, creator of the infinite scroll, called social media algorithms 'behavioural cocaine' and now regrets his creation.

  A former Facebook employee compared it to a slot machine and cigarettes. He claims that the company was aware of this - Facebook denies this but the co-founder Sean Parker has admitted it.
• Example of digital media preventing rebellion

  Watching videos of cats and debating the colour of a dress instead of talking about political issues.
• Frankfurt School (controls ideology)

  • Digital media is used to present a single version of reality - power to control media is power to control ideology
  • Alternate ideologies are not given airtime- Facebook has been criticized for bias as it selectively censors only some posts.
  • Allows fake news to circulate to confuse the population and stop political action.
• Example of digital media controlling ideology 


  Facebook and Instagram are controlled by one man, Mark Zuckerberg, giving him control over what is published.
• Big Data is when millions of digital footprints are bundled together. Digital footprints are created every time a device is used and include our location, shopping habits, and google searches. Companies can then use this or sell it for marketing purposes, often without full permission.
• Cambridge Analytica

  • Harvested data from 50 million Facebook accounts to sell and use in election campaigns 
  • Jeopardises democracy and the outcome of elections 
• Edward Snowden (Secret Service whistleblower)

  • US and UK government were illegally spying on citizens’ internet, email, and phone activity, collecting data from anyone, without warrants 
  • Charged him with espionage and theft of government property 
  • Companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google were complicit.  
• Frankfurt School (large profits)

  • Digital companies are making large profits but paying little tax.
  • Tech giants are exploiting their market dominance for more profit, at the workers' expense.
  • Some tech companies are now richer than entire countries - worrying amount of power.
• Castells (Neo-Marxist)

  • Empowering for the masses allows the proletariat more access to information and helps to successfully organise rebellions. 
  • Social media apps, like Twitter, have been used to organise and mobilise politically.  
• Example of digital media used to help rebellion (Castells)


  Arab uprisings - people organized and spread ideas using digital social networks. Uploaded films of police brutality to YouTube, defining their own narrative.