Network Platforms as Catalysts of Cognitive Development in the Context of Digital Capitalism: a Social and Philosophical Discussion
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The article presents a philosophical discourse on the phenomenon of cognitivists as a new class emerging in the digital age. The purpose of the study is to carry out a socio-philosophical analysis of network platforms as key factors of cognitive development in the context of digital capitalism. They are based on identifying the mechanisms of their influence on cognitive processes, formation of new forms of subjectivity, structuring of social interaction and transformation of modern knowledge. The cognitariat is seen as a qualitatively new social entity that emerges as a result of the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial and digital economy, where knowledge, intellectual and intangible labour play a leading role. The theoretical and methodological basis of the analysis is based on Manuel Castells' concept of the ‘network society’ (The Rise of the Network Society, 1996–2010), which emphasises the importance of information flows, network structures and digital communications in shaping new social realities. In contrast to the classical proletariat, the cognitariat unites workers in the creative, information and digital industries who produce added value through information processing, innovation, software, media and communications. The authors of the study (M. Hardt, A. Negri, M. Lazzarato, Y. Moulier- Butang, P. Virno and others) focus on the changing nature of work, forms of ownership, social relations and the role of intellectual activity in a new type of capitalism – cognitive capitalism. The paper explores how the cognitariat affects global social transformations, in particular: the deconstruction of classical forms of exploitation, changing models of political mobilisation, the emergence of a ‘platform economy’ and new forms of inequality. The article concludes by emphasising that understanding the essence of the cognitariat is of practical importance for the formation of educational policies, innovation management, cultural strategy, as well as for the adaptation of society to the challenges of automation, digitalisation and artificial intelligence. Prospects for further research are related to the analysis of the relationship between cognitivism, digital democracy and sustainable development.
Source: HUMANITIES STUDIES
Author: MYKYTA SLYUSAR
Institution: Zaporizhzhia National University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4413061558