Scorched Earth: Beyond the Digital Age to a Post-Capitalist World - Jonathan Crary
Published in 2022 by Verso, London, UK and New York, NY
144 pages
ISBN: 978-1-78478-444-7
There are few things that most Americans can agree on more than the idea that social media is detrimental to our mental and social health. In its burgeoning days, the Internet promised to be a place of unprecedented connectivity that could bridge social and cultural gaps between disparate parts of the world. Now, however, it has evolved into another catalyst for the rapid disintegration of social and political norms brought on by late-stage capitalism. Despite the techno-progressivists’ fervid optimism toward the emancipatory potential of the Internet in the wake of the Arab Spring, few of us now can deny that the Internet has efficiently and relentlessly contributed to the ongoing atomization of the individual away from organized collective action and toward individual narcissism and self-promotion.
As a tool of capital, social media has done irreparable damage to our relationships with one another. Despite its claim to connect us in deeper and wider ways, our habitual and overly-reliant use of the Internet has exacerbated feelings of anomie, isolation, and loneliness, all of which mirror the ill effects of neoliberal capitalism. For those of us hoping for a better future for our children and grandchildren, we must reckon with how the Internet will either help or impede social change. Is there any way that the Internet can serve as a ballast for radically emancipatory movements? In his 2022 book, Scorched Earth: Beyond the Digital Age to a Post-Capitalist World, art critic and essayist Jonathan Crary answers this question with an unreserved and resolute “no.”
Overview:
In this short and bombastic essay, Crary lambasts the effects of the “internet complex” on our social fabric. Combining insights from sociology, cultural theory, and optics, Crary notes how the digital world (and the physical infrastructure that supports it) has frayed our social bonds, arguing that it ultimately serves the interests of multinational corporations and contributes to the ecological and economic crises that we face. Our reliance on these digital structures, Crary contends, forecloses any real opportunity for radical action and building the foundational mutual support networks that are necessary for a post-capitalist world.
The Internet, according to Crary, has ensnared us in its grips. Giant corporations have captured the Internet and utilized its capacities to sell us more highly-targeted products to consume in our individualized spheres of existence, further driving us away from one another and dampening any sense of cooperation or empathy. In one of the most startling and bold opening lines that I’ve read in recent memory, Crary writes, "If there is to be a liveable and shared future on our planet it will be a future offline, uncoupled from the world-destroying systems and operations of 24/7 capitalism” (1). Thus, if we are to build a better world, it will necessarily be one wholly severed from the digital world.
Deeper Dive:
The essay is broken into three loosely related, untitled chapters. Crary begins by recounting the history of the internet complex, which he argues has “become inseparable from the immense, incalculable scope of 24/7 capitalism’ (2). The internet, which was first utilized by the military, was commercialized and made readily available for mass consumption by the 90s. The proliferation of the Internet coincided with the neoliberal politics of globalization and the decentralization of labor. In the early 1990s, a handful of Silicon Valley startups saw the potential of the Internet as an egalitarian space that could decentralize and disseminate information on a massive scale, thus expanding participation in the public sphere.
Yet, this techno-utopian view was ultimately myopic, as it failed to recognize that the expansion of this access to information would coincide with the consolidation of the power of these networks into the hands of a few tech companies. Crary viscerally critiques this “Californian Ideology” as myopic and naive, as he argues that recent history has shown us how the Internet has buttressed “the comprehensive global apparatus for the dissolution of society” (11). Taking his cues from theorists such as Marx, Dubord, Deleuze, and Guattari, Crary makes the case that the Internet has invaded every facet of both our public and private lives, leading to increased rates of addiction, loneliness, alienation, and the corrosion of the common social order.
Far from the Internet offering avenues for upward social mobility and equality, Crary argues that it silos individuals into isolated bubbles of private consumption, rendering us powerless to challenge the hegemonic grip that these tech companies have over our ever-disintegrating social and political order. These technologies that we continually consume ultimately consume us by harvesting our data, arresting our increasingly limited attention, and limiting our physical, flesh-and-blood social interactions in both the economic and the social sphere, thus robbing us of the constitutive elements that make us human. This destruction is further compounded by the environmental damage that these technologies have on our environment, as servers drain a large amount of energy and electricity to support our dependence on virtual platforms that undergird our lives.
In the second chapter, Crary outlines the current state of techno-capitalism, as he emphasizes our dependence on digital technologies to structure our economic and social lives. As companies increasingly shift their customer service operations and selling platforms to the digital realm, consumers have fewer options to simply opt out of using the Internet to fulfill basic tasks, such as buying products, managing their banking accounts, or even registering to vote in elections. The COVID crisis accelerated this shift toward centering our lives in the online sphere, as business meetings, classes, and family reunions were primarily mediated through Zoom and other online communication platforms. The basic tasks that structure our lives are increasingly being mediated by these online platforms, which makes any attempt to sever our dependence on them increasingly difficult.
Crary contends that these digital platforms have been created for profit rather than human flourishing or need. The emphasis that is put on the importance of speed, connectivity, and instantaneous gratification has eroded the deep and meaningful interactions that individuals have with one another, which are often filled with spontaneity and ambiguity. Instead, Crary argues that the inevitable disintegration of the social order that has been wrought by the Internet can be attributed to the “presentism” it generates. Presentism, for Crary, is created by our expectation for instant gratification, which has altered our perception of time and unmoored us from any consideration of the future, forever freezing us in a perpetual “now.” Younger generations have little hope for a viable -- let alone flourishing -- future, as wages remain stagnant amidst growing inflation, marriage, childrearing, and homeownership are being delayed due to material constraints, and a rapidly warming climate forecloses an ever-widening range of opportunities. As such, instead of focusing on the anxiety-producing future that is ever-looming, many of us console ourselves with infinite scrolling and consuming in the present moment.
In the third and final chapter, Crary shifts his focus to the subject of the eyeball, reflecting on its functions and their relationship to emerging technologies. He uses the examples of retina scanning and facial recognition technology to illustrate how the human body is utilized by technology to further the role of surveillance in our lives. Eye tracking software is utilized not for medical purposes, but rather by marketing companies to collect data on how to attract users toward new products to consume in their private spheres of existence. Utilizing the thought of Debord and Marcuse, Crary argues that our obsession with technology and the digital world is loosening the social bonds that previously tied us to one another. While these technologies are often pitched to us as fostering innovation, creativity, and progress, Crary makes the case that they usher in new forms of oppression and conformism.
Crary utilizes a few examples of how our dependence on technology is making us less human. First, he notes that our use of AI speech and voice commands is dampening our ability to recognize the nuances of everyday speech, which makes us less empathetic to others and their needs. By depending on the instruction and guidance of voices that are detached from a human face (which Crary contends, drawing on the thought of Martin Buber, is a vital component of speech), we become more mechanized in our interactions with others and less open to the authenticity and awkwardness of physical encounters with others.
He also makes the case that our constant attention toward electroluminescent screens has dramatically diminished our visual literacy (123). According to Crary, our overexposure to smartphone, television, and computer screens have resulted in our decreased ability to perceive the subtle nuances of color within the natural world. Robbed of this sense of awe, we have become increasingly indifferent to the natural world, and instead consume synthetic, manufactured colors. These colors and dyes are derived from plastics and other harmful chemicals, which further damage our ecosystems and contribute to the growing climate crisis.
As such, in the face of this oppressive technology, Crary is pessimistic about the future and the opportunities to overcome these immense challenges. The “scorched-earth capitalism” that Crary outlines is defined by its obliteration of any form of self-sufficiency or mutual cooperation, as it erodes the social fabric that binds us together. He notes that there are cracks and fissures within the system, which can be widened and burst open by the forces of cooperation and solidarity. These can be fostered by the physical, face-to-face encounters that we have with one another, which offer opportunities for unpredictability and spontaneity. Yet, Crary quickly reminds us that these opportunities are becoming increasingly regulated and foreclosed by our immersion in the digital world, which leads us to cling tightly to our privatized subjectivities and discourages us from forming a common collective that can challenge its grip on us.
Commendations:
Unyielding in its pessimistic polemics and concise in its length, Scorched Earth gives the techno-optimist reader a quick punch to the gut. Crary is unsparing in his condemnation of the ill effects that the Internet complex has wrought upon our individual psyches as well as our collective social fabric. While his central thesis might initially provoke the most tech-savvy among us, his ardent convictions and scathing critiques are well worth considering. Crary is right to point out how the individualistic character of emerging technologies is fueling increasing feelings of alienation and isolation, which work to stifle forms of mutual cooperation and transform relationships into disposable, transactional affairs.
I often found myself agreeing with much of what Crary writes when he discusses the increasingly anti-social nature of American society. Services, social interactions, shopping, and even work have largely shifted online, a trend that was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. Even before the pandemic, I found myself too often distracted by social media, mindlessly scrolling through images and videos that would give me a little boost of serotonin and further entrench my addiction to the Internet. I, like Crary, am also concerned about how the Internet is drastically affecting our ability to interact with others and experience a full and vibrant life offline.
Too often, we treat the real world as a repository of experiences to collect and then share online, which often occupies an inordinate amount of our time and attention. If we are to have a livable future, we must break the spell of hyper-individualization and work to recultivate a sense of shared responsibility and genuine empathy through mutual cooperation. By participating in local, small-scale democratic processes, as well as emphasizing the need for physical interactions (which open up opportunities for unpredictability and spontaneity), we can create small fissures that can break the stranglehold of tech-fueled capitalism.
Crary also does well to address how the continuing growth and influence of the Internet contribute to the climate crisis. Beyond the alienation that the Internet spurns, Crary also points out that the digital ballasts on which we depend are also ecologically unsustainable. He brings up the process of open pit mining for the cobalt to manufacture microchips as well as the amount of energy it takes to keep these massive data centers running as salient examples of how our current dependence on the Internet is harming our long-term ability to survive on the planet. While Crary’s analysis can often become too depressing and distressing at times to think about, his urgency compels us to action. As such, though uncomfortable at times, Crary’s unsparing critiques are well worth considering if we are to avert the looming catastrophes that threaten humanity’s future.
Critique:
On the other hand, Scorched Earth is a bit of a disorganized mess. With only three unlabeled chapters dividing the content of the book, it often reads like one long rant with little connecting tissue between ideas. While there are gems of insight throughout, it is often buried in dense and obtuse language. This difficulty is further compounded if the reader is unfamiliar with the social theory of Marcuse, Debord, and Buber, upon whom Crary’s analysis heavily relies. He tends to essentialize the Internet as a monolithic structure composed of a variety of services and then casts it as the natural source for the erosion of our social fabric. Yet, this misplaces the true source of the problem: the centralization of tech platforms over the past twenty years and the lure of instantaneous access to consumer goods that discourages cooperation and solidarity is not the natural consequence of the Internet, but rather that of capitalism. Crary too often simplifies the vast complexities of the Internet complex for the sake of his argument, which makes it weaker when taken as a totality.
Furthermore, while Crary’s overall thesis may be valid, it is often supported by evidence that is either scant or non-existent, which makes some of his arguments less credible. For example, the idea that we are losing our ability to distinguish colors of the natural world due to our dependence on screens is dubious and only supported by scant evidence, none of which is presented in this volume. Accordingly, some of his pronouncements are vague and overly generalized. As another example, his insistence that perceiving someone’s face is a vital part of vocal communication completely ignores those who are visually impaired or blind, who rely heavily upon hearing and speech without visual cues as a primary form of communication. Crary is convinced that the Internet is almost wholly detrimental to the world, and if there is any good to be found, it is minuscule in comparison to the immense harm it causes our society and environment. This comes off a bit too simplistic and one-dimensional and offers little hope amidst the doom and gloom of his narrative.
Furthermore, Crary offers little to no insight into how we can escape these pernicious effects of the Internet. While he vaguely gestures toward an economic model of degrowth and a call to refuse participation in the Internet complex, there are few practical or feasible solutions to the deep and structural problems that he diagnoses. The kind of post-capitalist society that we need to work toward is absent from this work, which is content to merely state that such a society will need to be severed from the Internet. Crary can often come across as fatalistic and one-dimensional in his analysis, which often castigates the Intenet as being nothing but trouble. This again leaves the volume feeling a bit too cynical and hopeless, as he too readily discounts the unintended negative effects of leaving the Internet for a burgeoning Left-wing movement. Crary’s pessimism is inflected on every page of the book, which makes the book read as more of a reactionary rant rather than a carefully constructed and even-keeled argument.
As a result of reading this work, many of us could take away that we need to wholly detach ourselves from the online sphere. Yet, this move would surrender the Internet to the far-right, who have shown to be adept at utilizing the Internet to promote their ideas. Over the past few years, we’ve seen the Left’s ability to organize and spread ideas easily online through podcasts, Twitch streams, and other forms of online content. The social world of the Internet is a vastly different space than it was even just a decade ago when far-right rhetoric dominated nearly every corner of consumable content. Left-wing content creators have done much to inform people of left-wing theory and mobilize them to organize outside of the digital sphere, which should not be ignored. In my view, the Internet is here, and it is here to stay. It's not going anywhere anytime soon, so the better question to address would be this: How do we live productive lives of dignity in the face of the internet?
Conclusion:
Overall, Scorched Earth is a powerful, if somewhat misplaced, indictment against the isolating forces of the Internet. While Crary polemically overstates his case at certain points and remains frustratingly vague and pessimistic in his prescription for the future, his central critique remains as salient as ever. Most of us recognize that the Internet is damaging our social fabric and contributing to our shared sense of discontent and constant fatigue. Crary’s work urges us to draw our attention to how the Internet has worked in tandem with neoliberal capitalism to further alienate the individual and smother collective resistance.
Crary’s quick read compels us to ask several important questions. Could the bulk of Crary’s critique be due to the fact that access to the Internet has become nearly ubiquitous, as we have unfettered access to it in our pockets? Is the alienation of the Internet due to the proliferation of social media as a primary drive of our online habits, rather than utilizing the Internet for specialized, research-based purposes? Could the Internet once again be an accessory to our lives, instead of wholly consuming it? Or, as Slavoj Zizek writes about the superego injunction to enjoy, is the excess now with us forever? These are questions well worth considering, and Crary’s work serves as a provocative and urgent wake-up call to recognize the damage that the Internet has wrought upon our social fabric and how we can wrest ourselves away from its grip to build a livable and meaningful future.