Informational cognitive exploitation: Concealed relationships behind prosumers’ activity on World Wide Web

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO
Author/s Agostina Dolcemascolo, Guillermina Yansen
Publishing Year 2017 Issue 2017/145
Language English Pages 17 P. 61-77 File size 118 KB
DOI 10.3280/SL2017-145004
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The aim of this paper is to reflect on the productive activity of ‘prosumers’ on the Web, as a specific portion of f ree work, from the point of view of informational cognitive exploitation. Taking into account previous studies on the subject where exploitative relationships within prosumers’ activities has been pointed out, the authors believe that the literature still lacks a more detailed theoretical approach capable of grasping the differences between this type of exploitation and classical exploitation, and casting light on its defining aspects. Thus, this paper will attempt to develop the idea that cognitive exploitation constitutes a concealed relationship of prosumer activity and, taking the knowledge support that drives it as the main criteria, the characteristics of this novel type of exploitation will be studied.

Keywords: Prosumer activity, informational cognitive exploitation, free work, informational capitalism

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Agostina Dolcemascolo, Guillermina Yansen, Informational cognitive exploitation: Concealed relationships behind prosumers’ activity on World Wide Web in "SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO " 145/2017, pp 61-77, DOI: 10.3280/SL2017-145004