https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/49103851-3421-4c2e-ba85-c36e2e22dde1 YouTube has become a neat microcosm of the alienation that characterizes the capitalist mode of production. Relationships between creators and viewers have become relationships between content and views, regulated by “the algorithm” – a force external to the actual subjects of the platform, but which ultimately dictates both ends of the YouTube experience. Surprisingly, it is Marx that offers us an insight into how this platform has come to be what it is now. Capital's tendency to subsume everything under its own logic has transformed an initially user-driven, user-oriented space into the YouTube we know today.Narration, script, and editing by M. Animated intro by Jack, co-host of the Auxiliary Statements podcast @AuxStatements on Twitter. Intro music by Charles Tristan:https://soundcloud.com/charles-tristanPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/themarxistproject Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarxistProjectRecommended Readings: Marx: Volume 1 of Capital, particularly the section on commodity fetishism; Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 Others: Althusser, L., Balibar, E., Macherey, P., Rancière, J., & Establet, R. (2016). Reading capital: The complete edition. Verso Books. ---In particular, Part 2 by Ranciere, pg. 121-124 Rubin, Isaak I. (2020). Essay’s on Marx’s Theory of Value. Trans. by Milos Samardzija and Fredy Perlman. Vol. 23. Pattern Books. "Alienation" by Sean Sayers, in Brennan, D. M., Kristjanson-Gural, D., Mulder, C. P., & Olsen, E. K. (Eds.). (2017). Routledge Handbook of Marxian Economics. Taylor & Francis.00:00 - 00:28 Background 00:29 - 00:43 Intro 00:44 - 01:28 Early YouTube 01:29 - 02:52 The Logic of Capital and Monetization 02:53 - 03:20 Subject-Object Relationship 03:21 - 04:02 The Algorithm 04:03 - 04:38 Effect on Creators 04:39 - 05:51 Effect on Viewers 05:52 - 06:15 The Object Becomes the Subject 06:16 - 06:45 The Objectification of the Creator-Viewer Relation 06:46 - 07:03 Creator Burnout 07:04 - 07:25 Shaping the Viewers 07:26 - 08:03 The Sentient Algorithm? 08:04 - 08:45 Summary 08:46 - 09:45 A Caveat and Final Thoughts Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:24:38 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tankie.tube https://tankie.tube/lazy-static/avatars/3ba3ff73-a8b6-49c9-add8-9653ef090c7f.webp https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/49103851-3421-4c2e-ba85-c36e2e22dde1 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tankie.tube/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.