Technology is one of the central elements of contemporary human life. The world as one knows it today is a space increasingly mediated by technological interventions, be it in the field of contemporary cultural expressions or political, organizational forms. Social media has played an important role in this transformation. Gone are the days when social media was merely a conduit for conversations. Today, it is a diverse field of operations spanning advertising mechanisms, branding processes and even direct commercial exchanges between users: the prime focus of this particular book. The book analyses real-world interactions, interviews and observations through the theoretical framework provided by Marxist political economy and social theory. It draws upon the theoretical scope provided by Marx's dialectical methods of social analysis and uses it to unearth the effects that trading and commercial activities performed through virtual communities have on society and individuals.
Author Biography:
Suddhabrata Deb Roy hails from the tiny north-eastern town of Silchar in India, but since the beginning of 2020 he has made Dunedin his home. His research focuses on Marxist theory (Classical-Critical-Contemporary) and Feminism, and the analysis of working-class social movements through these paradigms. The primary emphasis of his research is upon the workers in urban areas. The broad stroke summarisation of his doctoral research is: "With the coming of age of neo-liberalisation and globalisation, workers all over the globe are suffering, both as individuals and as a social class. Most currents of Marxist theoretical analysis are still in search of the elusive 'agent of revolution', in the process of which they have emphasised the 'social entity', the agent, but neglected the dynamic processes of its formation. Most of the feminist currents, again, have mostly emphasised the universality of gender at the expense of other social attributes, and have focused on individualised approaches towards capitalism and patriarchy. His doctoral work takes root from his primary research interests which are social class, gender, social movements, space, the urban, corporatisation, political economy, dialectics, and Marxist-Humanism. He also has interest in a broad range of themes including industrial relations, sociology of sports, environmentalism, digital capitalism, Deleuze and Guattari Studies, human-animal studies, popular culture (mainly comics and popular South Asian television), Critical HRM Studies, and psychoanalysis. His writings have appeared in peer reviewed journals along with some chapters in edited volumes spanning diverse topics. Apart from his doctoral research, he is working on certain long form projects, the details of which will be updated in due time in the near future.
