Culture, Power and Politics » Podcast The Costs of Connection
Jul 9, 2019
In this engaging discussion, Nick Couldry, a sociologist and media theorist, and Ulises Mejias, an expert in information studies, unveil the troubling concept of data colonialism from their book, The Costs of Connection. They explore how our modern conveniences come with hidden costs, as personal data is harvested for profit. The duo draws parallels between historical colonialism and today's data extraction practices, warning of a new social order shaped by corporate interests. They also propose ways to resist this insidious trend through collective knowledge and action.
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Data Extraction Creates A New Social Order
- Data extraction today targets every aspect of human life, creating a new social order centered on continuous data capture.
- This process transforms social relations into configurations optimized for profit extraction by platforms and apps.
Data Colonialism Is A Real Structural Shift
- Data colonialism is defined as appropriation of human life so data can be continuously extracted for profit.
- The authors argue this is not merely metaphorical but an emerging colonial order layered on historical coloniality.
Colonial Functions Reappear In Data Form
- Historical colonialism reshaped resource ownership, social relations, profit extraction and ideology to justify dispossession.
- The authors map these four functions onto today's data-driven extraction to show structural continuity.
