Mavelli, L., Cerella, A.
Neoliberalism Against Society? Spontaneous Order and Governance of Desire in Digital Societies (2024) Critical Sociology
DOI: 10.1177/08969205241287067
Open access
Abstract
Critical scholarship often argues that neoliberalism has caused the ‘crisis’ or ‘destruction’ of society. Drawing on Foucault’s concept of power as ‘productive’ and focusing on digital societies, we argue that neoliberalism seeks not to dismantle society but to create societies that govern desires through market freedom. We explore Friedrich Hayek’s idea that a free society is not based on social well-being or equality, but on spontaneous norms arising from the market order. Digital societies, we contend, are neoliberal but not spontaneous; they emerge from the market order yet are shaped by algorithmic codes that intercept, manipulate, amplify, and promote the voluntary self-exploitation of individual desires. The article combines the latest critical scholarship on neoliberalism with a fresh interpretation of Hayek’s thought and recent work on digital societies and algorithmic governance, highlighting the often-overlooked role of desire in the neoliberal governance of the digital age. © The Author(s) 2024.
Author Keywords
algorithmic governmentality; code as law; digital societies; Friedrich Hayek; governance of desire; neoliberalism; repressive and productive power; surveillance capitalism
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