In Becoming the Product: The Critical Internet Researcher as a Virtual Intellectual, the evolution of critical internet research takes center stage. By examining the pioneering work of early net critic Geert Lovink and the influencer-style approach of internet theorist Joshua Citarella (@joshuacitarella), as well as the practices of Alex Quicho (@amfq) and Sophie Public (@publig.enemy), this essay delves into the diverse strategies internet researchers adopt to share their work and sustain their careers more or less independently in today’s era defined by the attention economy.
This is the second title of INC affiliated researcher Morgane Billuart with Set Margins, after her successful debut Cycles, the Sacred and the Doomed, which is now in a second print run. More information about the author can be found here.
Charting the rise of subscription-based platforms and the increasing importance of engagement-driven metrics, Becoming the Product uncovers the tension between intellectual critique and the pressures of commodification. As the lines blur between rigorous scholarship, aesthetic branding, and market-driven content, Becoming the Product investigates the future of critical internet research and the sustainability of critical thinking as we know it in the digital age.
To support the printing process, we would appreciate it very much if all of you nterested in purchasing the book pre-order it in order to advance the printing costs. You will then receive the book in May 2025.
Published by Set Margins, Eindhoven, 2025 @setmargins
Design and illustrations by Juliette Lepineau @juliettelepineau
Text editing by Helena McFadzean @honourrolll
Supervision by Geert Lovink, Christian Holler, Clemens Apprich and Nanna Heidenreich
With the support of Goethe Insitute, the European Union, and Hufak