Theory of Alienation in the
Software Industry
Prepared by:
Ahmed Mahmoud Misbah
Agenda
• Introduction
• History
• Labor Theory of Alienation
• Alienation in the Software Industry
• Preventing Alienation
INTRODUCTION
What is Alienation?
• A feeling of separation or isolation
• Separation of things that naturally belong
together, or to put antagonism between
things that are properly in harmony
• Breaking down traditional relationships
among individuals and groups and the
goods and services they produce
A simple example
A complex example
A Lacoste Polo
Shirt that
costs $79.50
worn by the
rich and
happy
Produced by
unskilled
laborers that
work 14 hrs
per day and
earn a 48 cent
hourly wage
HISTORY
History of the theory
• Introduced as a social theory by Ludwig
Feuerbach in 1841 in his writing “The Essence of Christianity”
• Updated by Karl Marx into the “Theory of
Labor Alienation” in 1844 in the “Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts”
History of the theory
(cont’d)
• Its implication on modern society are still
discussed by various writers including
Gavin M. Edis in 2000 in his writing
“Alienation in the Work Place”
LABOR THEORY OF
ALIENATION
Definition
• In Marx's view, alienation is a symptom of
the industrial age and of capitalism
• A worker on a production line sees only
the part of the work that he is involved with
• He has no knowledge or control over the
final product that is produced and sold
Definition (cont’d)
• The workman has no relationship with the goods
that he is producing
• He is alienated from his own labor
• He works purely for the money
• There is no satisfaction in the work that he does
Forms of Labor
Alienation
1. The worker is alienated from the product
of his labor
2. The worker is also alienated from the
labor process
Forms of Labor
Alienation (cont’d)
3. The worker faces alienation from other
workers
4. The worker is alienated from himself
ALIENATION IN THE
SOFTWARE INDUSTRY
Does the theory apply
here?
• Developers are like workers in an
assembly line
• The process of developing software is
similar to producing products
• The final product is a result of assembling
every developer’s work
Alienation from the
product
• Software does not further a developer's
quality of life (financially, technically,
socially, etc.)
• Software is not always owned or used by
the developer
Alienation from the
Labor Process
• Confidentiality in projects
• No involvement or choice in software
development process, solution
architecture, technology stack, etc.
• Heavily relying on black box frameworks
Alienation from other
workers
• No involvement or interaction with customers
• Gap between developer and manager
• Not attending sessions and training courses
• Not attending conferences and events
Alienation from one’s
self• A result of all previous forms of alienations
• Leads to:
– De-motivation
– Loss of confidence
– Inability to lead
– Inability to take decisions
– Completion with tools
PREVENTING ALIENATION
How can we prevent
alienation?
• Alienation from the Product:
– Consider the benefits and implications of projects on
developers
– Appeal to developers’ benefits
– Lecture developers on the value of their work
– Find means of reward and appreciation
How can we prevent
alienation? (cont’d)
• Alienation from Labor Process:
– Initiate discussions in the process and tools used to
develop the software
– Maintain transparency
– Internal kickoffs
– Promote use of open-source
How can we prevent
alienation? (cont’d)
• Alienation from other workers:
– Conduct regular sessions for knowledge transfer
– Encourage attending events
– Deliver training
– Customer interaction
– Frequent 1:1 meetings
– Frequent department meetings
– Gatherings
How can we prevent
alienation? (cont’d)• Alienation from one’s self:
– Prevent all previous forms of alienation
– Look towards developers as future leaders
and decision makers not current followers
– A Developer is not a code producer but a
problem thinker
Thank you
Question ?
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