New Patriarchs of Digital Capitalism: Celebrity Tech Founders and Networks of Power

This book offers an original critique of the billionaire founders of US West Coast tech companies, examining their collective power, influence, ideology, group dynamics, and role in digital capitalism. It argues that a specific kind of patriarchal power has emerged as digital capitalism's mode of command, with the 'New Patriarchs' including Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Peter Thiel. The book explores how these men legitimate their rapidly acquired power, tying a novel kind of socially awkward but 'visionary masculinity' to exotic forms of shareholding. It intervenes in feminist debates on patriarchy, masculinity, and postfeminism, locating the power of the founders as emanating from a specifically racialized structure of oppression tied to imaginaries of the American frontier, the patriarchal household, and settler colonialism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 244 pages
Publication date: 24 June 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into a critical analysis of the billionaire founders of US West Coast tech companies, exploring their collective power, influence, and ideology. It examines their group dynamics and the significant role they play in the broader sociocultural and political formations of digital capitalism. The authors go beyond questioning the founders' political and economic ambitions and shed light on the pervasive presence of their corporations in our daily lives. Through robust evidence, they argue that a distinct form of patriarchal power has emerged as the mode of command in digital capitalism. The 'New Patriarchs' examined in the book include prominent figures such as Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google, Elon Musk of Tesla, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and Peter Thiel. Additionally, Sheryl Sandberg is included in the analysis. The book delves into the methods by which these (mostly) men establish and legitimize their rapidly acquired power, linking it to an unconventional form of socially awkward but 'visionary masculinity.' It draws upon a ten million word digital concordance to intervene in feminist debates on patriarchy, masculinity, and postfeminism. The authors locate the power of the founders as emanating from a specifically racialized structure of oppression tied to imaginaries of the American frontier, the patriarchal household, and settler colonialism.

This book makes a significant interdisciplinary contribution, appealing to researchers and students across Digital Media, Media and Communication, and Gender and Cultural Studies. It offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of power, gender, and technology in the digital age.

Weight: 396g
Dimension: 154 x 234 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367260156