Blaming human nature mystifies the power relations that shape society. Penny dreadfuls and yellow journalism were the result of the commodification of culture u

Blaming human nature mystifies the power relations that shape society. Penny dreadfuls and yellow journalism were the result of the commodification of culture under capitalism. The internet failed to bring us together because it was shaped and appropriated by corporate power to fragment solidarity, extract data, and commodify attention. In each case, it’s the profit-seeking of a minority class that bends technology toward commodification and cultural degradation. But let’s blame human nature instead of the power structures that generate these outcomes.