ABSTRACT
What happens in the middle sections of the international chain of cognitive labor? Most research has focused on the ends of the chain, either in the “aristocracy of digital talent” or in the ranks of precarious workers. This chapter analyzes a Spanish company called Designit Madrid, which is, in many ways, in an intermediate position. Spain is neither in the core nor in the periphery of media industries. Designit Madrid has around 50 employees. The owners are small-scale entrepreneurs who perform direct creative labor. The workers have decent jobs but are not too well paid, and they suffered a lot of stress during the 2007–2009 recession and its aftermath. The firm plays a pivotal role in the process of surplus value generation. It transfers knowledge (and wealth) from consumers and users to large multinational companies. This chapter explores the ambiguities and contradictions experienced by both workers and employers in relation to their class condition and the combination of creative work with repetitive activities. It also discusses the relations between this intermediate section and upper and lower links of the digital labor chain. 1
