Marx and Engels combined materialism and dialectics into what is now known as “dialectical materialism”. Here is an explanation of how they did this:
Historical Materialism: Marx and Engels introduced the concept of historical materialism. This posits that material conditions (such as methods and relations of production) form the foundation of society, and that ideas, culture, and consciousness arise from and are influenced by these material conditions.
Applying historical materialism to our digital age requires a reconsideration of what is viewed as ‘material conditions’ in the era of the internet and computers. If we apply this principle in the context of the modern digital society, we can make the following and not limited by these observations:
- Digital Means of Production: The physical means of production from Marx and Engels’ time, such as factories and machinery, now have their digital counterparts. Software, data centres, network infrastructure, and platforms like Google, Facebook, and Amazon can be seen as the digital means of production of our age.
- Labour Relations: In the digital economy, we see new forms of labour and labour relations emerging. Consider gig economy workers, freelancers working online, and the increasing automation and robotisation replacing traditional jobs. This creates new tensions and conflicts between those who own the digital tools and those who sell their labour.
- Cultural and Ideological Changes: Digital culture has transformed the way we communicate, socialise, and gather information. Social media, memes, and online communities influence our worldview and values. This has also led to the rise of new social movements, ideologies, and contradictions in the digital space.
- Material Foundation of the Digital Space: While the imaginary construct cyberspace seems ‘immaterial’, it relies on a very material foundation: servers, undersea cables, satellites, etc. Control over this infrastructure can be likened to control over physical means of production in a traditional economy.
- Digital Conflicts: In the digital space, we also see contradictions. For instance, between privacy advocates and big tech companies, between open-source communities and proprietary software firms, and between net neutrality advocates and telecom providers.
When applying historical materialism to the digital age, it’s evident that digital infrastructure and technologies form the new ‘material’ foundation of our society. These technologies and their control and ownership underpin modern conflicts, cultural shifts, and societal structures.
Dialectics: Instead of a static view of society, Marx and Engels adopted a dialectical approach. They believed that contradictions (for example, between the working class and the bourgeoisie) were the driving forces behind historical change. These conflicts lead to a synthesis, a new stage, and subsequently to new conflicts.
The dialectical method examines contradictions and conflicts inherent within a certain context and predicts that these conflicts will lead to changes and ultimately a new synthesis. In the digital age, there are numerous contradictions and conflicts that can be analysed within this context:
- Centralisation vs. Decentralisation: While the internet was originally seen as a decentralised network, major tech companies (like Google, Facebook, and Amazon) have amassed much power and control. Opposing this centralisation is the movement towards decentralisation, as seen with blockchain technology and decentralised platforms.
- Privacy vs. Surveillance: There’s an ongoing conflict between individuals’ need for privacy and companies’ (and sometimes governments’) desire to gather and monitor data. This conflict leads to debates about regulation, technological solutions like end-to-end encryption, and broader societal discussions about the role of surveillance in modern society.
- Open Source vs. Proprietary Software: There’s a continual tension between communities advocating for open, free, and shareable software and companies developing and maintaining closed, proprietary systems.
- Access to Information vs. Copyright: The digitalisation of information has led to conflicts between those advocating for free and open access to information and those wanting to protect the rights of content creators through strict copyright laws.
- Digital Labour Relations: As previously mentioned, there’s a contradiction between gig economy workers, who often have little security and benefits, and large digital platforms profiting from these flexible labour relations.
The dialectical approach would predict that these conflicts will lead to new syntheses. For instance, the conflict between centralisation and decentralisation might result in new forms of distributed governance. The conflict regarding privacy and surveillance could give rise to new norms and regulations around data privacy.
It’s crucial to note that the exact outcome or synthesis of these conflicts isn’t always predictable, but the dialectical approach provides a useful framework for understanding the dynamics and contradictions present in the digital age.
Combination: By merging these two concepts, Marx and Engels argued that history can be understood as a series of conflicts stemming from material conditions. The changing material conditions lead to new social relations and conflicts, which in turn give rise to new stages in history.
The digital age has produced its own set of conflicts, primarily arising from changing material conditions. Here are some examples:
Rise of the Personal Computer:
- Material change: The accessibility of computers to the general public in the ’80s and ’90s.
- Social relations: A shift from computing as something that only took place in large corporations to something people did at home.
- Conflicts: Battles between different operating systems (e.g. Windows vs. Mac) and concerns about monopolies (e.g. Microsoft’s dominant position).
Spread of the Internet:
- Material change: The accessibility and spread of internet connections.
- Social relations: People suddenly became part of a global network, enabling new forms of communication and interaction.
- Conflicts: Debates over net neutrality, concerns about digital divides between those with and without access, and worries about online privacy.
Rise of Social Media:
- Material change: Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram becoming mainstream.
- Social relations: People started sharing their lives online and forming online communities.
- Conflicts: Concerns about privacy, the spread of misinformation, impacts on mental health, and the monopoly status of large platforms.
Mobile Revolution:
- Material change: The ubiquity of smartphones.
- Social relations: Being always connected, blending of work and personal life, and a new app economy.
- Conflicts: Concerns about screen time, the dominance of app stores like Apple’s and Google’s, and debates about the gig economy (e.g. Uber and Deliveroo).
Data as the New Oil:
- Material change: The vast amount of data being produced and stored.
- Social relations: Companies and governments having access to unprecedented amounts of information about individuals.
- Conflicts: Worries about data privacy, debates over data ownership and access, and issues like the GDPR regulation in the EU.
Rise of Artificial Intelligence:
- Material change: The development and application of advanced AI technologies.
- Social relations: Automation of traditional jobs, new ways of interacting with technology.
- Conflicts: Ethics surrounding AI, concerns about job losses, and dominance by big tech companies owning the AI technologies.
Each of these material changes has led to new social relations and conflicts, which in turn lead to new stages in the history of the digital age.
Conclusion
So, while the idea of materialism and dialectics existed before Marx and Engels, they were the first to combine these concepts in this specific way to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding history and social change.
As we venture into the digital age, the principles of historical materialism can still be applied, albeit with a reconsideration of what constitutes ‘material conditions’. The rise of personal computers, the internet’s ubiquity, social media platforms, and AI technologies have created new material bases for society. These digital advancements have spurred novel social relations, from the way we communicate and work to how we perceive privacy and information access. With them come inherent dialectical conflicts: centralisation versus decentralisation, privacy against surveillance, open-source against proprietary software, and more. These digital-era contradictions are reshaping our society, hinting at emergent syntheses that might redefine our future.
Thus, even in this modern digital realm, the dialectical materialism of Marx and Engels remains a pertinent lens through which we can examine and comprehend the ongoing societal transformations.