University of Twente Student Theses
The Power of Tech Companies : towards a non-dominating technology sector
Maas, Jonne Julia Clara (2020) The Power of Tech Companies : towards a non-dominating technology sector.
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| Abstract: | Tech giants exercise an incredible amount of economic, social, and political power over soci-ety. Criticisms of their power tends to be focused on the societal implications of their power. This thesis provides a new angle to the debate on the power of tech companies by investigat-ing, using the neo-republican concept of freedom as non-domination, the source of their pow-er and how their power affects the political status of these companies and society. I claim that these companies unaccountably dominate society because of (1) certain powerful features and (2) underlying societal structures, resulting in (3) monopolistic tendencies. This allows tech companies to interfere with society without facing accountability. I claim that the companies’ domination may be mitigated through a co-determination scheme where secondary associa-tions participate in the decision-making process of tech companies: this way, the power of these companies becomes democratically accountable. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 08 philosophy |
| Programme: | Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society MSc (60024) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/83612 |
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