#commodification of knowledge

In today's globalized world, capitalism has become the dominant economic system, shaping societies, institutions, and even our pursuit of knowledge. While capitalism has its benefits, it is essential to examine its impact on the search for truth and the quest for knowledge. In this blog post, we will explore how capitalism can act as a hindrance to the pursuit of truth, stifling intellectual freedom, distorting information, and prioritizing profit over the common good.

Commercialization of Knowledge: Under capitalism, knowledge and information become commodified, subject to market forces and profit-driven motives. The commodification of knowledge can lead to the prioritization of research and information that is financially profitable rather than necessarily advancing truth and understanding. This bias can limit the exploration of unconventional or unprofitable ideas, hindering intellectual diversity and innovation.

Influence of Corporate Interests: In a capitalist society, corporations wield significant influence over the dissemination and production of knowledge. Corporate funding and sponsorship can shape research agendas, academic programs, and media narratives. This influence may result in conflicts of interest, where research and information are tailored to fit corporate agendas or protect corporate interests, potentially suppressing findings that challenge prevailing narratives or threaten profit-driven industries.

Inequality and Access to Education: Capitalism's inherent economic disparities can hinder the pursuit of truth by limiting access to education and opportunities for intellectual development. Unequal access to quality education, resources, and research facilities disproportionately affects marginalized communities. This deprivation of opportunities and knowledge perpetuates systemic inequalities, preventing diverse voices and perspectives from contributing to the collective search for truth.

Media Consolidation and Sensationalism: Under the capitalist media landscape, media outlets are often driven by profit motives, sensationalism, and the need for higher ratings. This focus on attracting viewers and maximizing profits can lead to a distortion of information and a prioritization of sensational stories over factual accuracy. The pursuit of truth can be undermined as media organizations strive to capture audience attention and generate advertising revenue, compromising the integrity of news reporting.

Intellectual Property and Patents: Capitalism's emphasis on individual ownership and proprietary rights can hinder the free exchange of knowledge. Intellectual property laws and patents can limit the dissemination of information, hindering collaborative efforts and impeding the collective search for truth. Profit-oriented motives may incentivize withholding or restricting access to vital scientific discoveries, impeding progress in fields that require open collaboration and sharing of knowledge.

I'm trying to read some papers about Horror and how certain characters are used to represent the fear of homosexuality in Victorian England. Fun stuff.

If only I could read the WHOLE paper instead of the first page only. And why? Because the rest is blocked by a pay wall. It costs $30 a month and $60 if you get three months. Jesus christ, who thought this was a good idea? The whole point of papers is that they be divulged. If you have to pay in several different sites to read a few papers then I won't do it. Because much like streaming services, not one site has all the papers related to any subject so I'm going from website to website looking to find this document so so can read it or any document disscussing a smilar topic.

And what's worse is that the authors don't even get paid for this. Most sites just host your works and few pay very little compared to what they make. It's infuriating. I get that it costs money to keep the site running (even if it shouldn't) but every single site I've been to has similar prices. Hell some ask for money per article which is worse.

Don't Take Digital Innovation for Granted

In Canada, powerful actors want to make the Net more expensive, less open.

By Steve Anderson, Yesterday, TheTyee.ca

Locking in ISP profits at expense of creativity.

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Canadians need to understand the value of online innovation. Innovators in Canada need to be, well, more innovative. They need to reach more people and more effectively demonstrate the importance of the open accessible Internet. They need to be de facto champions of openness -- just as many of their predecessors have been.

Canadians will step up to defend the open Internet more whole-heartedly when its value is more clearly demonstrated. Online innovators and the community that support them need to capture more audience from big media. Not only will this chip away at the profits and control wielded by big telecom companies, it will also make it much harder for these companies to discriminate against the open Internet.

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Steve Anderson is the national coordinator for OpenMedia.ca He is a contributing author of Censored 2008 and Battleground: The Media and has written for The Tyee, Toronto Star, Epoch Times, Common Ground, Rabble.ca and Adbusters. Reach him at: [email protected], http://facebooksteve.com, http://steveontwitter.com, and http://medialinkscolumn.com.

Me, Losing It

I lot of people have been asking for this one, so here it is.

I gave a talk last year at a conference that turned out to be less about social media than social marketing. I got really tired of listening to brand managers talk about their “Twitter strategies,” and by the time my closing keynote came around, it felt like I had watched the corporatization the net recapitulated over the course of the afternoon. Thus, this rant, expressing the core themes Life Inc. in twenty minutes.

(I had meant to embed the video above, but the company sponsoring the embedding insists on embedding their entire player – which takes up the whole page, debilitating all other functionality. Not a good embed strategy, fyi…)

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