An In-depth Study of Time Exploitation in the Era of Digital Capitalism

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Abstract: Relying on digital technologies, digital capitalism continuously deepens the exploitation of human time. It dismantles the inherent authenticity of natural time through a "digital calendar", infinitely expands the boundaries of labor time via technical means, and converts individuals’ free time into productive time for unpaid digital labor, thereby constructing an all-round system of temporal control. This new form of time exploitation exhibits distinct characteristics: the boundaryless expansion of exploitation fields, the covert nature of exploitative methods, and the alienation of subjective cognition. To alleviate the problem of time exploitation under digital capitalism, efforts should be made from three dimensions: clarifying the ownership of data property rights, adhering to a people-centered development orientation, and establishing a new concept of wealth centered on free time. This not only represents a contemporary response and innovative development of Marxist labor theory, but also carries important theoretical and practical significance for advancing the sound and orderly development of the digital economy and realizing the free and all-round development of human beings.
Keywords: Digital Capitalism, Digital Labor, Time Exploitation
APA Citation: Xiaowen Yu (2026). An In-depth Study of Time Exploitation in the Era of Digital Capitalism. International Journal of Social Sciences and Public Administration, 10(9), 83-91. https://doi.org/10.62051/ijsspa.v10n9.09

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