State capitalism 

An economic system where the state owns the means of production

It is a subject of debate whether state capitalism was the system of the Soviet Union and China, however I would argue that they were both state socialist (something that originated from these places)

State capitalism by Donna tramp February 10, 2021

Late-Stage Techno-Capitalism

A phase of techno-capitalism marked by platform monopolies, AI‑driven automation, algorithmic labor management, and the normalization of surveillance as the price of participation. In late‑stage techno-capitalism, the infrastructure of everyday life—communication, transportation, shopping, dating, work—is owned by a handful of tech giants. Dissent is managed not by force but by deplatforming; labor organizing is suppressed by algorithmic scheduling; public discourse is shaped by engagement algorithms optimized for outrage. It is characterized by the feeling that there is no outside to the platforms: to exist is to be a user.

Late-Stage Techno-Capitalism Example: "She couldn't work, socialize, or even navigate her city without using apps owned by three corporations—late‑stage techno‑capitalism, where leaving the platform means leaving society."

Late-Stage Techno-Capitalism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 26, 2026

Late-Stage Digital Capitalism

The current phase of digital capitalism characterized by platform consolidation, AI‑driven automation, and the closure of the open internet. In late‑stage digital capitalism, the web is no longer a space of experimentation but a few walled gardens; algorithms no longer connect you to information but deliver you to advertisers; labor is increasingly automated or gigified; and any alternative is either bought, crushed, or made invisible. The feeling of possibility that marked the early internet has been replaced by the sense that the platforms are now the internet.

Late-Stage Digital Capitalism Example: "She remembered the early web, full of personal blogs and forums. Now everything was algorithm‑fed content, owned by Meta or Google—late‑stage digital capitalism, where the open web is a memory."

Late-Stage Digital Capitalism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 26, 2026

Smartphone Capitalism

A phase of capitalism where the smartphone is the primary point of production, consumption, and extraction. Labour is organised through apps; consumption happens through thumb‑scrolls; value is extracted from every swipe, tap, and idle moment. Smartphone capitalism profits from the transformation of everyday life into data, turning walks, chats, and even sleep into revenue streams. It is capitalism that lives in your pocket and never sleeps.

Example: “He earned on the same device he spent on, while the platform took a cut of both—smartphone capitalism, where the phone is the factory, the store, and the boss.”

Smartphone Consumerism

A mode of consumption centred on the smartphone as both tool and status symbol. It includes the constant upgrade cycle (new models every year), the ecosystem lock‑in (apps, accessories, subscriptions), and the substitution of physical goods for digital ones (e‑books, streaming, in‑app purchases). Smartphone consumerism turns the device into a lifestyle, where owning the right phone and the right apps signals identity and belonging.

Example: “He didn’t need the new camera, but the ads convinced him his phone was obsolete—smartphone consumerism, where desire is manufactured and the upgrade is mandatory.”

Smartphone Capitalism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal April 21, 2026

Suffering Capitalism

A variant of capitalism that not only tolerates suffering but actively depends on it to sustain accumulation. Suffering capitalism extracts value from insecurity, illness, debt, addiction, and despair. Private prisons profit from incarceration; pharmaceutical companies profit from chronic conditions; lenders profit from financial desperation; platforms profit from gig workers’ exhaustion. Unlike earlier forms that promised progress and comfort, suffering capitalism offers no exit—it simply makes survival the product. It is capitalism with the mask off: not the invisible hand but the visible fist.

Example: “The for‑profit rehab center had a 90% relapse rate—but that was good for business. Suffering capitalism: healing is not the goal; repeat customers are.”

Suffering Consumerism

Consumerism explicitly organized around alleviating, distracting from, or aestheticizing suffering. Suffering consumerism sells relief from the very anxieties it helps create: sleep aids for the overworked, comfort food for the lonely, retail therapy for the alienated, self‑help books for the exhausted. It also commodifies the spectacle of others’ pain as entertainment (true crime, disaster news) or moral performance (charity merch, awareness bracelets). Suffering consumerism does not end suffering; it repackages it into products that keep the cycle spinning—consumption as temporary anesthetic for a chronic condition.

Example: “She bought a ‘self‑care’ candle, a weighted blanket, and a guided journal—all marketed to ‘anxiety relief.’ Suffering consumerism: selling the cure for a disease the system won’t stop causing.”

Suffering Capitalism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal April 21, 2026

Precarized Late-Stage Capitalism

An intensification of precarized capitalism under late‑stage conditions: financialization, globalization, automation, and the erosion of labor protections combine to make precarity the baseline for the majority of workers. Even skilled professionals find themselves on short‑term contracts, while platforms algorithmically manage and discipline labor. The state withdraws from social welfare, leaving individuals to navigate constant uncertainty. Precarized late‑stage capitalism is characterized by the normalization of housing insecurity, medical debt, and the complete absence of a career trajectory—just an endless series of gigs.

Precarized Late-Stage Capitalism Example: “He had a master’s degree and ten years of experience, yet he was renting a room, driving for Uber, and one missed paycheck from disaster. Precarized late‑stage capitalism had made expertise worthless and stability a luxury.”

Precarized Late-Stage Capitalism by Abzugal April 20, 2026

Social Scientific Theory of Collective Dissociation of Late-Stage Capitalism

A systematic, empirically-grounded approach to studying how late-stage capitalism produces collective dissociation, using the full range of social science methods. The social scientific theory applies quantitative research (surveys measuring awareness of economic realities; longitudinal studies tracking changes in perception over time), comparative analysis (how dissociation varies across different capitalist societies), institutional analysis (how organizations manage uncomfortable information), and network analysis (how dissociative narratives spread through populations). It treats collective dissociation as a phenomenon that can be measured, modeled, and explained—not just theorized but documented. This approach seeks to identify the specific mechanisms by which late-stage capitalism enables populations to know and not know simultaneously, and to develop evidence-based understanding of how dissociation functions in contemporary societies.

Example: "Her social scientific theory of collective dissociation of late-stage capitalism used forty years of survey data to track how Americans' awareness of inequality changed as inequality actually grew—showing that periods of increased dissociation correlated with specific media environments and political discourses. The dissociation was measurable, not just metaphorical."

Social Scientific Theory of Collective Dissociation of Late-Stage Capitalism by Dumu The Void March 19, 2026