The new paradigm, according to Huston, is a tighter, more meaningful collaboration between company and workers. But such collaboration is based on the reconstitution of both company and workers as two independent and autonomous nodes of network production. Paradoxically, the atomization and privatization of work and the worker are presented as preconditions for a new paradigm of production relations, a paradigm that is ultimately more intimate and satisfying. In other words, a process of separation and clear demarcation is needed in order to then build healthier relations. The collaboration of these independent nodes in the new capitalism’s network production substitutes the symbiotic relations between company and workers in the old capitalism—a paradigm that had proved, according to the digital discourse, to be no longer viable, if not completely dysfunctional.
PASSION AND PARTICIPATION
Another important case study of network production is that of Lego. Its story is told in the article “Geeks in Toyland” (Koerner 2006), which tells of how the Lego company is using network technology in order to harness individuals to help in the development and design of its products. Since this is a cover story, the cover image features a sea of Lego figurines, fading into the horizon. The figurines are all identical; their faces wear an expression of resolute determination (see Figure 5.2). The teaser reads, “The Lego Army wants you: How obsessed fans are helping Lego reinvent the world’s coolest toy” (Cover 2006). While the image shows Lego figurines and the title refers to “The Lego Army,” both the figurines and the army refer not to something that Lego possesses, but to something Lego can tap into precisely without possessing. The cover art seems to resonate with the fantasy of employers regarding the network: that the network promises a sea of fans, enthusiasts, amateurs, and hobbyists—in short, nonorganized, atomized, and docile units of labor power—eager to be given the privilege to harness their creativity and passion and participate in a business project.
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Media and New Capitalism in the Digital Age