Data colonialism’s raw material is human life itself, not territory or labor

Evidence

The discovery of new forms of raw material is what makes the current moment distinctively colonial. If historical colonialism expanded by appropriating for exploitation geographical territory and the resources that territorial conquest could bring, data colonialism expands by appropriating for exploitation ever more layers of human life itself. Regarding data colonialism, much debate on contemporary capitalism has been sidetracked by an excessive focus on whether digital labor is being exploited, a significant topic, certainly, but not the most important feature of today’s transformations. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 66

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines data colonialism by its raw material (human life layers) and explicitly distinguishes it from the labor-exploitation debate.
• XREF: Connects to the attention/surveillance paradigm being read against; the ‘not labor exploitation’ move parallels platform-studies debates the reader is comparing. — connects to: Data colonialism extends neoliberal ideology by appropriating all of life, not just non-market spheres. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 169; Data colonialism is a literal process, not merely a metaphor — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 18; Data colonialism extracts ever more layers of human life as raw material — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 66 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Data colonialism extracts ever more layers of human life as raw material #corroborates (0.93) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 66
• Data colonialism annexes human life itself to capital #corroborates (0.90) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 28
• Data colonialism extracts human life as data for profit through data relations. #expands (0.88) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 32
• Data colonialism expands capitalism by absorbing previously uncommodified life streams #corroborates (0.85) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 68
• Data colonialism replaces cheap resources with cheap social data as its raw material #qualifies (0.80) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 579
• Data colonialism requires transforming society itself, not just extracting value #qualifies (0.75) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 365