Vol. 54 No. 2 (2026): Published June 30, 2025
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/26584956/2026/2/2134
Immaterial labour: evolution of the concept and contemporary research trends in the socio-philosophical perspective
Aim. Socio-philosophical analysis and critical reconstruction of the evolution of the immaterial labor concept in the thought of the late XX and early XXI centuries, as well as the identification of key contemporary trends determining its development and substantiating ways to overcome its inherent contradictions. Relevance. Paradoxical status of the concept: while being a cornerstone for understanding post-industrial, cognitive, and platform capitalism, it faces persistent criticism for methodological abstractness and a lack of practical applicability in the context of the digital transformation of all spheres of labor. From a socio-philosophical perspective, the relevance is linked to the need to rethink fundamental categories of labor, alienation, subjectivity, and value in the era of biopolitical and digital production. The methodological foundation consists of theoretical analysis and synthesis of a broad corpus of texts. Methods. Dialectical, socio-philosophical reconstruction and critical interpretation, and categorical analysis. Results. Presented in the form of a detailed periodization of the genesis of the concept, identifying four stages. The article analyzes the key theoretical aporia – the dichotomy of the material and the immaterial – and identifies three main directions of the concept contemporary development. Conclusions. Research is shifting from the philosophical ontologization of the "immaterial" to a critical socio-technical analytics of the "material nodes" of its organization. Specific contours of a critical ontology of digital labour are proposed, including a revision of the categories of subjectivity (as "subjectivity-under-the-algorithm"), freedom (as "connectivity/accessibility"), value (as "archival value"), alienation (as "temporal alienation"), and social being (as an "infrastructure-normed reality"). Extending the normative horizon, the paper introduces a distinction between temporal regimes and argues why the disruption of the rhythm of existence constitutes a form of alienation incompatible with the human form of life. A prospect for further research is outlined: a comparative analysis of platform ecosystems and the development of a normative philosophy of "digital dignity".
For citation: Kulikova V.G. Immaterial labour: evolution of the concept and contemporary research trends in the socio-philosophical perspective. Journal of Wellbeing Technologies, 2026, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 95–104. https://doi.org/10.18799/26584956/2026/2/2134
Keywords:
immaterial labour, post-operaism, social philosophy, biopolitics, alienation, platform capitalism, digital labour, algorithmic management, generative artificial intelligence, digital materiality, critical ontology, temporal alienation
References:
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REFERENCES
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9. Bratton B. The stack: on software and sovereignty. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 2015. 528 p.
10. Foucault M. Discipline and punish: the birth of the prison. New York, Vintage Books, 1995. 352 p.
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