Becoming the Product: The Critical Internet Researcher as a Virtual Intellectual

by Morgane Billuart

Becoming the The Critical Internet Researcher as a Virtual Intellectual traces the evolution of critical internet research. Examining the pioneering work of early net critic Geert Lovink, the influencer-style approach of Joshua Citarella, and the practices of Alex Quicho and Sophie Public, the essay explores how researchers share their work and sustain their careers in today’s attention economy. Charting the rise of subscription platforms and engagement-driven metrics, Becoming the Product reveals the tension between intellectual critique and commodification, investigating the blurred boundaries between scholarship, aesthetic branding, and market-driven content - and questioning the future sustainability of critical thinking in the digital age.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology

164 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2025

Reviews

[Grace]

inspiring but also mildly depressing

feel like ive been handed a life road map

[Ema]

wait, is this fucking play about us?! — me, realizing that I'm a critical internet researcher, midway through reading the book

[Kimberly Koch]

Great book, but it had so many typographical errors that it was really irritating to read for someone with a trained eye.

If they ever bring out a new edition, they should thoroughly proofread the text. They need to ensure quotation marks are actually closed so readers know where a quote ends, alongside fixing countless other punctuation and micro-typographical errors.