INFODEMIA AND DIGITAL CAPITALISM: COMMUNICATIONAL CIRCULATION AND BIG TECHS IN NEOLIBERALISM

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between infodemia and digital capitalism in the context of neoliberalism, drawing on Mark Fisher’s concept of capitalist realism, which argues that capitalism has become the only conceivable framework of sociability, limiting alternatives to the prevailing system. Based on a literature review, the article problematizes infodemia as a phenomenon that goes beyond informational chaos, revealing it as a mechanism of control and commodification of attention, exploited by large technology corporations. The theoretical framework builds on the contributions of Fisher, Byung-Chul Han, Srnicek, Zuboff, and Morozov, to analyze the circulation of commodities, data, and information within the dynamics of neoliberal capitalism. This qualitative essay, grounded in bibliographic review, situates itself in the field of Political Economy and Social Theory, leading to a critical analysis of the economic and communicational structures that sustain this new shape of capitalism. The shift in how capital is accumulated and how power and labor relations are mediated by digital technology characterizes the current model. The text emphasizes how digital platforms shape the circulation of information, reinforce capitalist realism, and restrict critical questioning, thereby perpetuating the status quo. The findings indicate that infodemia is not a spontaneous phenomenon, but a structural element of the digital economy, deepening alienation, creating obstacles to collective organization, and hindering critical participation in society. The text proposes strengthening a popular logic of informational sovereignty, fundamentally tied to the regulation of Big Techs through public policies and regulatory measures that limit and guide the economic, social, and political power of technological corporations. Such measures are essential to mitigate the impacts of infodemia and expand the population’s digital rights.