Digital slavery and the super-exploitation of labor: repercussions for the working class

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the precariousness and super-exploitation of work, which are currently manifested through the new modalities of outsourcing and flexibilization of the work contract. It is based on Marx's theories of work and value, and on the Marxist Theory of Dependence (thoughts of Ruy Mauro Marini), We aim to capture some essential elements for comprehension of super-exploitation, owing to establish a clear connection between this theoretical category and the new modalities of precarious work, so expressive nowadays. We give special emphasis to the service sector, specifically to the work monitored and controlled by new technological and network devices. We intend to demonstrate how the process of expansion of privatized and commodified services in the informational-digital era contributes to the real subsumption from labor to capital and has profound repercussions for the working class, especially in dependent and peripheral countries.