The Internet and Monopoly Capitalism

http://monthlyreview.org/2016/10/01/the-internet-and-monopoly-capitalism/
Publisher:  Monthly Review
Year Published:  2016
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX20109

A review of Robert W. McChesney's Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism Is Turning the Internet against Democracy.

Abstract: 
Excerpt:

Robert W. McChesney transcends these one-sided engagements, offering a nuanced analysis of the development of the Internet within the context of monopoly capitalism, revealing both the limitations of this technology in its current state and its massive potential.

McChesney focuses on the tensions and contradictions arising from the Internet's place within the larger political economy. Capitalism shapes the development of technology, while the latter also influences social relations and interactions within society. The Internet, while presenting some challenges to the capital accumulation process, has become -- on the whole -- subsumed under its dictates. The Internet's potential to add to public wealth has been largely directed to increase private riches.