# A digital shock doctrine for the left A : blog post Status : draft ## Bad resilience Resilience is not necessarily a good thing[^fn:1]. In systems, resilience is the capacity to survive crises, disruptions, shocks, and attacks[^fn:2]. It determines whether disturbances result in some form of systemic transition or whether the old system persists. A resilient system absorbs shocks. Capitalism is a complex adaptive system[^fn:3], and, unfortunately for society and for the planet, one that is both endlessly prone to generating crises[^fn:4] yet remarkably resilient in surviving them[^fn:5]. Capitalism has caused havoc for centuries yet still persists. This is not because we've reached 'the end of history'[^fn:6]. We're just stuck in a bad system state. ## Harnessing shocks How to puncture this resilience and steer towards a better system state? The left should use moments of chaos to achieve emancipation[^fn:7]. As proposed by Graham Jones - the left needs a shock doctrine[^fn:8]. As outlined by Naomi Klein, a shock doctrine is a political strategy for navigating crises[^fn:9]. A way of using (and creating) shocks as points of leverage and transition. In Jones' formulation, a shock doctrine for the left contains elements of smashing (capitalism), building (alternatives), healing (each other) and taming (capitalism)[^fn:10]. These are a respin of Erik Olin Wright's four types of anti-capitalism[^fn:11]. In 'smashing', the left should take disruptive actions to create chaos as points of leverage[^fn:12]. The direction our world takes in moments of chaos is defined by the ideas and institutions that are already available[^fn:13]. So the left needs a programme building and promoting alternative institutional forms[^fn:14]. In all of these actions we need to make constant space for healing. And, along the way there's likely the necessity for interaction with and attempts at reforms and regulation of existing power structures. The shock doctrine of the left ties these elements all together in an attempt to make capitalism less resilient and socialism more able to replace it. What might this shock doctrine look like when considered in the digital realm? ## Digital shocks Digital capitalism is the meditation of capitalism (the accumulation of capital and power) through digital technologies[^fn:15]. Digital is a core component of modern economic activity, and a small cabal of capitalist firms ('Big Tech') hold these commanding heights[^fn:16]. These tech firms generate plenty of shocks of their own. And we could be instigating our own shocks too. - Some digital shocks: - AI, Win 10, memory crisis - A digital shock doctrine for the left is… I recently read [[What is and how do we achieve a resilient digital democracy?]] by [[Christian Fuchs]]. It's a great article, outlining the tools we might need to build leftist digital infrastructures that can withstand attempts to destroy it from the right. But beyond resilience, we also need a programme for transition - how do we get from the current stage of digital capitalism to something better? - Leverage points are… # Footnotes ¹ [[Resilience is not necessarily a good thing]]. ² [[Resilience is the capacity of a system to survive crises, disruptions, shocks, and attacks]]. ³ [[Capitalism is a complex adaptive system]]. ⁴ [[Capitalism is prone to crisis]]. ⁵ [[capitalism is a very resilient system]]. ⁶ [[We haven't reached the end of history]]. ⁷ [[The left should use moments of chaos to achieve emancipation]]. ⁸ [[The left needs a shock doctrine]]. ⁹ [[A shock doctrine is a political strategy for navigating crises]]. ¹⁰ [[The shock doctrine for the left contains elements of smashing, building, healing and taming]]. ¹¹ [[Four types of anti-capitalism]]. ¹² [[The left should take disruptive actions to create chaos as points of leverage for system change]]. ¹³ [[The direction our world takes in moments of chaos is defined by the ideas and institutions that are already available]]. ¹⁴ [[The left needs a programme of building and promoting alternative institutional forms]] ¹⁵ [[In digital capitalism, the accumulation of capital and power is mediated by digital technologies]] ¹⁶ [[Big Tech controls the digital commanding heights of the economy]].