The Social Codes of Tech Workers: A Contradictory Middle Class in the Making

(Paperback)

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How the coders of our digital worlds think, work, and live. How the coders of our digital worlds think, work, and live. Digital technologies shape nearly every aspect of our lives. Yet little attention has been paid to the tech workers who design and program these technologies. Instead, the spotlight often falls on two extremes- the elite class of tech entrepreneurs and the precarious digital proletariat of gig and crowd workers. This narrow focus has left a critical gap in understanding the middle-class professionals operating behind the scenes of digital capitalism. Drawing on over 50 original interviews and discourse analytical research conducted in the US and Germany, The Social Codes of Tech Workers takes readers deep into their hearts and minds. Robert Dorschel demonstrates how tech workers' subjectivity is structured by a return of social critique, hybrid professional roles, and distinctive lifestyles. The book identifies tech workers as a contradictory class formation, oscillating between a spirit of emancipation and yet another spirit of capitalism. This work will appeal to scholars across disciplines concerned with digital labor, identity, and class, as well as to the broader public interested in the culture of the tech industry and the evolving future of work.

Reviews

In this beautifully crafted book, Robert Dorschel explores the ambiguities and contradictions faced by American and German tech workers who want to do good at the same time as they help make the digital world go round. In a high-wire act, this author meets the challenge of capturing the hearts and minds of tech workers at the intersection of their work and moral commitments, as he aims to unterstand how they see the world and understand themselves. In doing so, he makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the perils of tech professions at a time when they are only gaining in importance. This book will surely be widely read and discussed.
Michle Lamont, author of Money, Morals and Manners, Professor of Sociology, Harvard University

Author Bio

Robert Dorschel is Assistant Professor in Digital Sociology at the University of Cambridge. His work has been recognized with awards from the Association of Internet Researchers and the German Sociological Association.