New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Robert Dorschel, "The Social Codes of Tech Workers: Class Identity in Digital Capitalism" (MIT Press, 2025)
Jan 20, 2026
Robert Dorschel, an Assistant Professor in Digital Sociology at the University of Cambridge, dives into the lives of tech workers and their class identities. He defines who qualifies as a tech worker, contrasting them with entrepreneurs. Dorschel highlights their reflexivity regarding industry issues and critiques the notion of techno-solutionism. He also discusses their ordinary lifestyles and mindfulness practices. Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of studying tech workers' rising influence and prepares for future research on Gen AI's impact on various classes.
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Defining Who Counts As A Tech Worker
- Tech workers are professionals who program, design, and manage digital technologies and secure middle/upper-middle class wages.
- They differ from tech entrepreneurs and precarious gig workers by holding task jurisdiction and control over work processes.
Two Competing Worker Subjectivities
- Two ideal subjectivities exist: the organizational self of Fordism and the entrepreneurial self of post-Fordism.
- The entrepreneurial self treats employees like entrepreneurs, valuing autonomy, networks, and blurred work-life boundaries.
Tech Workers Aren't Purely Entrepreneurial
- Many tech workers deviate from the pure entrepreneurial self by expressing class-based critiques and skepticism of techno-solutionism.
- They often see society as economically polarized and classify themselves as "tech workers" rather than entrepreneurs.
