The politics of disconnective media: Unraveling the materiality of discourses on disconnectivity

Bozan, Veysel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2121-0897 and Treré, Emiliano ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2496-4571 2024. The politics of disconnective media: Unraveling the materiality of discourses on disconnectivity. Media and Communication 12 , 8586. 10.17645/mac.8586

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Abstract

The commodification of disconnection has attracted growing scholarly attention. Previous research highlighted the instrumentalisation of disconnection for productivity, self-governance, and healthy life. Researchers have also explored the politics of the “products” used for disconnecting, such as smartphone applications and offline commodities. Yet, current studies generally neglect to connect digital disconnection’s symbolic and material dimensions. In this article, we critically examine the discourses of what we call “disconnective media,” the products (hardware and software) that offer disconnection from digital devices. To explain how discourses and products find a basis in material and social structures, we deploy a discourse-theoretical analysis grounded in a Marxist materialist approach to neoliberalism and the materiality of discourse. We critically analyse six disconnective media and focus on these key dimensions: justifications (why to disconnect), time/space (when/where to disconnect), devices/platforms (which devices are appropriate to disconnect from), and class (who is addressed to disconnect). Findings show that digital technologies in the workplace have been naturalised, whereas phones and social media remain problematic. Leisure time is constructed with a set of obligations to use time meaningfully and improve the self, while work time is presented through a scientific work management mindset that promotes efficiency. Disconnective media advocate the ideal image of healthy, efficient workers. This study stresses the importance of investigating disconnection concerning commodified labour and neoliberalism’s material consequences.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Journalism, Media and Culture
Publisher:	Cogitatio Press
ISSN:	2183-2439
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	6 September 2024
Date of Acceptance:	29 August 2024
Last Modified:	11 Sep 2024 11:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/171863

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