A live tour of the diverse terrains of the “digital economy”, in which the author argues that it is not platform technology that defines our digital search, work, communication and play, but our deep rootedness in shared social practices, habits and collective communities.

Jordan argues that the digital economy is not primarily about selling goods, but is about creating communities that can be read by software and algorithms. Profits are made through targeted advertising, subscriptions, misleading “purchases,” and service relationships.

The trillion-dollar digital economy profits from our emotions, our relationships with each other, and the way we interact with the world. Tim Jordan discusses the hype and significance surrounding her work and practice to outline important concepts, theoretical and policy issues. He reviews: Google, Baidu, Uber, Bitcoin, Wikipedia, Fortnight and World of Warcraft.

Tim Jordan is Professor of Digital Cultures at the University of Sussex