digital sharecropping

English

Etymology

Coined by Nicholas G. Carr in 2006.

Noun

digital sharecropping (uncountable)

1. (social media, derogatory) A system where the intellectual property generated by users is owned and sold by just a few digital platforms.
   • 2008, Lawrence Lessig, Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy‎^[1], Penguin, →ISBN:

     Here's one: digital sharecropping will not be long for this world. Of all the terms that creators from the sharing economy will demand, the right to own their creativity will be central.

   • 2014, Astra Taylor, The People's Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age, Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN:

     When all is said and done, the notion of a hybrid economy turns out to be nothing more than an upbeat version of digital sharecropping, a scenario in which all of us have the right to remix sounds and images and spread them through networks that profit from our every move.

See also

• sharing economy