Colonialism was a form of economic, political, and social organization dominated by major powers such as Great Britain, France, Spain, and later the United States (Couldry & Mejias, 2019). This chapter of history is now considered closed. But is it? Historical colonialism was characterized by key components: territorial conquest, resource embezzlement, slavery and other forced labor, unequal trade relations, the uneven global distribution of resources, and the spread of ideologies. Such concepts, at first glance, seem long forgotten and archaic, but they are not. We can now see historical colonialism reborn in a new guise: data colonialism. In their book “Cost of Connection” (2019), Couldry and Mejias explain that datafication functions as a new colonial logic, extending capitalist possibilities into the most intimate spheres of human life, transforming social interactions and communication patterns into raw materials for economic gain. Data colonization is achieved through the seamless integration of digital platforms and algorithmic systems into everyday life, making human participation virtually inevitable. Initially, data analytics, which was initially collective and used for internal company analysis, later evolved into analytics used to extract value from this data. Once capitalism recognized the opportunity to extract economic benefit from these processes, it began to view this area as one to be monitored, controlled, and exploited for profits (Couldry & Mejias, 2019).
Algorithmic systems increasingly determine access to news, public discourse, and communication, creating an asymmetrical flow of information that benefits those who own the data infrastructure. The internet and social media have become more like a state, with their own hierarchy and ideology. Digital technology monopolies like Google, Meta, Facebook, and X have built a multi-layered concentration of power, enabled by data colonization. As Zuckerberg said, “In many ways, Facebook is more like a government than a traditional company” (Couldry & Mejias, 2019).
This data organization also promotes ideology and reinforces structural hierarchies, reproducing and enhancing historical inequalities, coding racial prejudices, and stereotyping marginalized groups within digital architecture. Noble, in her book “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism” (2018), analyzes data search that systematically distorts and denigrates oppressed groups. She cites the example of Kabir Ali, an African-American teenager, who searched “three black teenagers” on Google in 2016. The results Google returned included photos of black teenagers involved in crime. But when he replaced “black” with “white,” the results were completely different. The white teenagers were presented as decent and typical people. This small example demonstrates that data mining is not simply exploitative but also discriminatory and promotes racist ideologies. These biases and search engine results are not random: they arise from systems that prioritize dominant cultural narratives and promote the ideologies of those who would pay more (Noble, 2018). When these discriminatory results are widely disseminated, they influence public perceptions, shape cultural norms, and perpetuate old prejudices, with real-world consequences. Historical colonialism embezzled territory and resources through physical violence, but modern communications infrastructures allow data colonialism to be more subtle and undetectable, thereby making it more powerful and global. Data colonization represents a profound systemic change, placing human life within an infinite resource pool, expanding surveillance regimes, and global control through an unfettered system of data mining.
References:
Bennett W. L., Livingston S. (2018). The disinformation order: Disruptive communication and the decline of democratic institutions. [Online]. sagejournals. Last Updated: April 2. Available at: https://journals-sagepub-com.uow.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1177/0267323118760317 [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Couldry N., Mejias A. (2019). The Costs of Connection : How Data Is Colonizing Human Life and Appropriating It for Capitalism. [Online]. Stanford University Press. Available at: https://research-ebsco-com.uow.idm.oclc.org/c/qoyzda/search/details/vuefsxlq7b?db=nlebk&db=nlabk [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Heilweil R. (2020). Why algorithms can be racist and sexist. [Online]. vox.com. Last Updated: February 18. Available at: https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/18/21121286/algorithms-bias-discrimination-facial-recognition-tran [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Mwendwa I., Nyamwire B. & Roever S. (2023). How Gig Work Exploits Instead of Empowers Women in the Global South. [Online]. ssir.org. Last Updated: October 18. Available at: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/how_gig_work_exploits_instead_of_empowers_women_in_the_global_south [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Noble S. U. (2018). Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. [Online]. New York University Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/westminster/detail.action?docID=4834260 [Accessed 1 December 2025].
