Our 2026 CADA event series continues by welcoming Robert Dorschel to discuss his recent book, The Social Codes of Tech Workers: Class Identity in Digital Capitalism''

Digital technologies shape nearly every aspect of our lives. Yet little attention has been paid to the tech workers who design and program these technologies. Instead, the spotlight often falls on two extremes: the elite class of tech entrepreneurs and the precarious digital proletariat of gig and crowd workers. This narrow focus has left a critical gap in understanding the middle-class professionals operating behind the scenes of digital capitalism.

Drawing on over 50 original interviews and discourse analytical research conducted in the US and Germany, The Social Codes of Tech Workers takes readers deep into their hearts and minds. In his talk, Robert will discuss how tech workers’ subjectivity is structured by a return of social critique, hybrid professional roles, and distinctive lifestyles. He identifies tech workers as a contradictory class formation, oscillating between a spirit of emancipation and yet another spirit of capitalism.

Speakers

Robert Dorschel is Assistant Professor in Digital Sociology at the University of Cambridge. His research investigates how processes of digitalisation relate to work, class, and culture. He has analysed the work ethic and class formation of tech workers, the professionalisation of data scientists, and the class divides in contemporary society more generally. Robert studied sociology and political science at Humboldt-University Berlin, Duke University, and the University of Kiel, before completing a PhD in Sociology at the University of Cambridge in 2022. Between 2022 and 2024, Robert worked as Assistant Professor in Social Inequality at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.

There will be plenty of time allotted for an audience Q&A, so bring your queries and questions.

More info

You can buy The Social Codes of Tech Workers here: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262553537/the-social-codes-of-tech-workers/