Abstract

[The Cloud’s Vassals in the Algorithmic Society] Why revive expressions like slavery and serfdom today? The answer to this question can only be one: chains, a symbol of one man's power over another, a condition of total submission, still exist, even if their appearance has changed. While many think of the web as a tool like any other, digital technology has actually radically changed us, becoming an increasingly invasive component of relationships, altering the emotional, volitional, and cognitive dimensions of humanity, and giving rise to a true anthropological mutation. Vassals or servants of the cloud are the new terms used to describe the powerful chains that have managed to seize a precious human resource, making us extremely fragile and superficial, but also terribly lonely. However, all this should not fuel a pessimistic outlook, because the chains of slavery, whatever their guise, can, indeed must, be broken.