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PostScript^UM #36

Silvio Lorusso
The Servile Mass Society

In this essay, initially published in Italian by NERO, the Rotterdam based writer, artist and designer Silvio Lorusso, discusses his idea of the “delegation society”, which he briefly outlined in his book Entreprecariat: Everyone Is an Entrepreneur. Nobody Is Safe (2018). The delegation society is no longer divided into Marxian classes but is instead formed into a new pyramidal order. At the top sits the professional élite who delegate reproductive work to the lower levels in order to gain time and be able to work more; at the bottom lies the highly fragmented servant class. In the middle an unstable professional class struggles to become a part of the élite, alternating in their work between professionals and servants. The micro-élite at the top legitimize themselves and the delegation system through telling a story that transforms servants into entrepreneurs, exactly what the gig economy platforms do.

EN | 14.8 x 21 cm | 12 pp | COLOUR | soft cover | 2021