In Decembder 2018 I submitted my dissertation on ideology and the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It examines how ideology functions in Silicon Valley, specifically examining Facebook and how the condradictions of this ideology emerged in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

It is available to read here: The Californian Ideology & Analysing the Cambridge Analytica Scandal pdf or epub

I was pleased to get awarded 74% for this dissertation, which just pushed me into getting a distinction overall. A few of the comments from my tutors are worth noting. In the dissertation I use the term “transference” to describe how the Californian Ideologue shifts the logic of capitalism onto technology through a belief in techno-determinism. However, “displacement” would be a more accurate psychoanalytic term. The other point to note is that I use the concept of “the Real” to show how Facebook were terrified of the revelations in the Cambridge Analytica scandal may destroy their “reality”, and therefore tried to avoid this confrontation. However, “the Real” is not necessarily a negative or terrifying encounter - it can also be an awe-inspiring positive experience, but one that we cannot comprehend.

Special thanks to my tutors Greig Charnock and Japhy Wilson at the University of Manchester for supporting me through this. Doing the MA in Political Economy was one of the best decisions I have made, and this MA would be great for anyone interested in critical examination of political economy.