Gramscian Hegemony in the Digital Age: A Study on Crowdfunding

• In Event: 2207 - Section on Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. Political Economy

Abstract

The world in which Antonio Gramsci lived when he developed his theory of hegemony has since undergone many changes. While Gramsci would never live to see modern marvels like computers or the Internet, his observation remain just as relevant and applicable as it was in the early 20th century. Technology and modes of communication have changed but their usage by the ruling capitalist class to maintain control has remained the same. The ruling capitalist class is still intent on preserving its position and has modified its tactics to take advantage of the changing times. This paper uses a methodology of content analysis of articles to explore the digital social phenomenon—crowdfunding—through a Gramscian theoretical framework. With the rising popularity of and support for crowdfunding site like Kickstarter, this paper posits the question: has the ruling class finally met its match? Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter may be designed to give individuals a platform to share their ideas and garner support based on the quality of their work, but this paper finds that socioeconomic status (SES) of the project creators greatly affects the likelihood of projects' funding goals being met.

Author

• Tiffany Cheng, Barnard College, Columbia University