Topic
E-mail and the alienation of the worker. Carl Marx wrote that under a capitalist economic system society divides itself into two classes: the property owners and the property-less workers. In this arrangement, the workers not only suffer impoverishment but also experience an estrangement or alienation from the world. Fast forward a few years and the world of work has become even stranger. It is quite normal now to send an e-mail to somebody you are sitting opposite instead of talking to them face-to-face. Tonight we ask is there any truth in Marx’ theory of alienation and if so has technology made the problem worse?