The Internet of Landlords: Digital Platforms and New Mechanisms of Rentier Capitalism

Digital platforms are a nearly ubiquitous form of intermediary and infrastructure in society. By positioning platforms in the geographical political economy/ecology literature, this paper provides a critical analysis of platforms as a dominant form of rentier in contemporary capitalism. In doing so, I extend this work on rent theory beyond applications to land and nature so that it also includes platforms and data. I argue that the rapid rise of the “X-as-a-service” business model across nearly all sectors of the economy is creating rentier relations by another name. This model is premised on the platform latching onto and inserting itself into the production, circulation, or consumption process, thus creating opportunities to capture value. To better understand the operations and implications of platforms, I outline three key mechanisms: data extraction, digital enclosure, and capital convergence.     

On technology and production techniques of early medieval glass rings from Silesia

Glass rings used to be one of the most common jewellery types in the 10th–13th centuries in Central Europe, especially Silesia. The popularity of this type of decoration in this area could indicate its local origin. The chemical composition of the glass seems to confirm this theory. The Silesian glass rings analysed in this paper were made of high‐lead alkaline and non‐alkaline glass or of lead‐ash glass. There was also a close relationship between the colour of the finished products and the chemical composition of the glass. This provides new data for the study of the problem of production and distribution of glass jewellery in Central Europe.