Dissertation Defence: Digital Organs Without Bodies: On Algorithmic Capitalism and its Consequences

Ali Yazdizadeh, supervised by Dr. Bryce Traister, will defend their dissertation titled “Digital Organs Without Bodies: On Algorithmic Capitalism and its Consequences” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies – Digital Arts & Humanities theme.

An abstract for Ali Yazdizadeh’s dissertation is included below.

Examinations are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Registration is not required for in-person exams.

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Abstract

Digital Organs Without Bodies explores the political economy of algorithmic capitalism insofar as it materializes in the algorithmic regimes of capture and control that sustain the profitability of corporate social media platforms. By drawing on diverse objects of study and a wide range of theoretical frameworks, this study engages with the ontological, affective, psychological, aesthetic, economic, and political dimensions of algorithmic capitalism—within the context of corporate social networking. It aims to construct a collage-like framework of analysis for theorizing the forces of capture and control that are operative within algorithmic spaces and map the circuits of resistance (be it against algorithmic governmentality, reactionary meme ware fare, or the Alt-right’s digital hegemony) that emerge within them. At its core, this study is a search for lines of flight, an inquiry into whether and how resistance can emerge within the very circuits that seek to modulate and contain it.