Capitalism and the Media
Key Concepts for Understanding Communications and Technology

Des Freedman (Author)

9781509565306, Polity Press

Hardback, published 29 May 2026

300 pages
23.1 x 15.5 x 3 cm, 0.567 kg

"A vital corrective to technological determinism, Freedman masterfully reasserts capitalism's centrality in the digital age. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand who truly controls what we watch, read and think."
Nick Srnicek, King's College, London, and author of Silicon Empires

"With clarity and precision, Freedman dismantles the deep entanglements between capitalism and media that structure our social, cultural and economic realities. Incisive and urgent ‒ this book is important reading for anyone seeking to understand how systemic power operates."
Jennifer Holt, UC Santa Barbara, and author of Cloud Policy

"Des Freedman has written a brilliant book explaining in clear prose the forces that shape our media and technological world. At a moment when discussions of artificial intelligence, digital platforms, misinformation, and technological change are too often detached from the economic system that drives them, Freedman offers a much-needed intervention. With clarity and rigor, he demonstrates why capitalism remains the indispensable framework for making sense of contemporary communications and technology. Timely, accessible, and deeply insightful, this is essential reading for media scholars and general readers alike."
Deepa Kumar, Rutgers University

Capitalism is the most powerful, creative and destructive social system the world has ever seen. Vigorously celebrated and fiercely contested, it provides the backdrop for the pipelines and platforms that supply audiences with entertainment, information and connection.

This book provides an accessible introduction to the key characteristics of capitalism and illustrates how they shape and distort our media and communications landscapes. Exploring concepts including accumulation, exploitation, ideology, oppression, commodification and colonization, the book discusses the impact of these processes on everything from our experiences online and the dynamics of algorithms to the power of oligarchs and the media's role in the escalating environmental crisis.

At a time when technology is often heralded as either the cause or the solution to issues of polarization, disinformation and atomization, an understanding of the simultaneous resilience and fragility of capitalism is essential. Capitalism and the Media is important reading for students of media, communications, cultural studies and politics and provides a valuable resource for scholars and activists.

Acknowledgments


1. Capitalism shouldn't need an introduction
2. Technology and revolution
3. Private property and enclosure
4. Labour, exploitation and class
5. Commodification and marketization
6. Competition and monopoly
7. Accumulation and profit
8. Ideology and hegemony
9. Freedom and democracy
10. Capitalism and the state
11. Imperialism, colonialism and globalization
12. Oppression
13. Nature and environment
14. Contradiction and crisis
15. Conclusion


Bibliography
Notes
Index

Subject Areas: Electronics & communications engineering [TJ]