Vol. 56 No. 222 (2026): Modern Times: Emancipation – Power – Technology

Technical innovations have always been accompanied by promises of progress as well as experiences of power and powerlessness. Today, technology is once again at the centre of debates about the division of labour, power, participation and the future in society. But what is the relationship between technology, powerlessness and emancipation? Digital, networked technology in particular, such as artificial intelligence and big data technologies, is omnipresent and invites intensive use in everyday life. Technology not only produces certain ways of working and distributing, but also ways of consuming, desiring and living. Whether we are currently witnessing the rise of a new mode of production and regulation, often referred to as »digital capitalism« for the sake of simplicity, is a matter of debate.

In PROKLA 222, we examine the nature and impact of these changes: What are the social consequences of the new technologies? But also: What emancipatory learning processes can we draw on to counter powerlessness, and how can they be generalised – including with technology?

With contributions by Madeleine Böhm, Franziska Cooiman, Philipp Frey, Felix Gnisa, Helen Hester, Yannick Kalff, Pamela Kenne, Isabell Mader, Isabelle Puccini, Lucas Reinehr, Christoph Scherrer, Dorothea Schmidt, Mariana Schütt, Sebastian Sevignani, Sandra Sieron, Ingo Stützle, Kauã Arruda Wioppiold.