The essay explains how digitalization did not consolidate competitive capitalism but instead, according to the author, promoted monopolistic concentration and a relationship of dependency between subjects and platforms. The book details the elements —data, algorithms, and infrastructures— that shape this new social and economic organization.
The central argument maintains that capital accumulation has shifted away from being primarily production-based toward the extraction of monopolistic rents, transforming labor relations and the economic order. This shift blurs the boundary between the political and the economic spheres.
The book, originally published in France in 2020 and translated into Spanish in 2021, has become a key reference for analyzing the concentration of digital power and its democratic implications. Large platforms act as lords controlling the means of social coordination.
The author is associated with the Marxist tradition and the regulation school, which frames the critical interpretation of contemporary transformations of capitalism and their social consequences. The metaphor of feudalism helps explain platform dependency and the high costs of exit.
In summary, the book proposes a useful conceptual framework for addressing regulatory policies, power distribution, and the protection of the digital commons. It is recommended as a reference reading for journalists, students, and professionals interested in platform governance.