Towards a Theory of Ambient Capitalism: An Inquiry into How Data Creates ValueTowards a Theory of Ambient Capitalism: An Inquiry into How Data Creates Value

Abstract

By asking foundational questions about data, specifically how it creates value in the market economy and the form in which it is traded in the market economy, this text constructs a new, more theoretical model to understand how data and the economy interact. Specifically, I position data as an inherent product of surveillance, resulting in a unique co-creation / co-ownership conundrum that must be resolved by legal mediators for data to become an economic instrument. By applying this model to prevalent theories of data accumulation and exploitation, I develop critiques and potential solutions to the issues created by the current theoretical paradigms of data accumulation presented by theorists such as Zuboff (2015) Fuches (2010, 2019), and Sadowski (2020). Further, using my new understanding of how data functions in the market economy, I further critique Zuboff's surveillance capitalism model, while developing a new theory of the dominant model of data accumulation which I refer to as ‘ambient capitalism’.