So I use “neoliberalism” to indicate a form of governmentality, specifically the theory that the free market has become an or ga niz ing principle of society. Governmentality, as defined by Foucault, includes “the totality of practices, by which one can constitute, define, organize, [and] instrumentalize the strategies which individuals in their liberty can have in regard to each other.” In other words, governmentality is a way to govern people, a technique that determines the strategies available for people to use in interpersonal relationships and self-expression. Political power becomes intertwined with our ideals of our selves, and the very idea of what it means to be human. This governance takes place through the creation and popularization of technologies that encourage people to regulate their own behavior along business ideals. In the early twentieth century, the technology of public schooling was designed to regulate children to work in factories: children were trained to respond to bells, walk in lines, and perform repetitive tasks. This book argues that Web 2.0 technologies function similarly, teaching their users to be good corporate citizens in the postindustrial, post-union world by harnessing marketing techniques to boost attention and visibility.

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 34