The Dialectics of Dependency Revisited: The Current Relevance of a Critical Approach to the Political Economy of Communication. Super-exploitation in the Era of the Gig Economy

Abstract

Drawing upon Mattelart’s (1970) conceptualization of material dependency and ideological dependency—which structures, shapes, and reinforces domination over Global South countries—this paper argues for the relevance and contemporary validity of Marini’s (1973) Dialectics of Dependency as a framework to analyze and understand the impact of technological development within the fields of communication and information in Latin America. Furthermore, the text reviews Katz’s (2018) contemporary updates to establish analytical pathways aimed at explaining and comprehending the significance of this approach in the current stage of capitalism, with a primary emphasis on the category of super-exploitation as a manifestation of absolute surplus value.