Labor, Capital, and Machine: Toward a Labor Process Theory for HCI

TL;DR

This paper advocates for integrating Labor Process Theory into HCI to better analyze and critique modern work, emphasizing labor's role in value creation and workplace regimes.

Contribution

It introduces Labor Process Theory as a valuable framework for HCI to analyze work under capitalism and guides new research directions.

Findings

Identifies key themes in HCI related to labor and work.

Proposes directions for critical HCI research and design.

Highlights the importance of labor analysis in technology design.

Abstract

The HCI community has called for renewed attention to labor issues and the political economy of computing. Yet much work remains in engaging with labor theory to better understand modern work and workers. This article traces the development of Labor Process Theory (LPT) -- from Karl Marx and Harry Braverman to Michael Burawoy and beyond -- and introduces it as an essential yet underutilized resource for structural analysis of work under capitalism and the design of computing systems. We examine HCI literature on labor, investigating focal themes and conceptual, empirical, and design approaches. Drawing from LPT, we offer directions for HCI research and practice: distinguish labor from work, link work practice to value production, study up the management, analyze consent and legitimacy, move beyond the point of production, design alternative institutions, and unnaturalize bourgeois designs. These directions can deepen analyses of tech-mediated workplace regimes, inform critical and normative designs, and strengthen the field's connection to broader political economic critique.