Critical,Empirical and Explanatory Research Methods:A Methodological Debate on the Study of Digital Labor Alienation
The theory of alienation has a long and diverse intellectual and philosophical history.It,however,also brings about issues of ambiguity in the concept of alienation and the generalization of its theoretical application.Based on different ontological and epistemological stances,the study of digital labor alienation has formed a methodology that includes"critical,positivist,and interpretivist"approaches.The main frameworks of the alienation critique paradigm include Marx's quadruple alienation,Fuchs'nine forms of alienation,and the digital labor critique of contemporary Western leftists,but they lack phenomenological descriptions and examinations of subjective experiences.The positivist paradigm,represented by social psychology,explores the psychological experiences of alienation at the individual level but replaces the critical exploration of alienation with a relatively superficial understanding.The interpretivist paradigm expands the traditional understanding of alienation,serving as a good supplement to the critical and positivist paradigms,although its application is not as widespread as the former two.These methodologies each have their own theoretical explanatory power and shortcomings in addressing the issue of digital labor alienation.
digital laboralienationnew alienationMarxismpolitical economy of communication
万方数据
维普
