HIS111: LECTURE CONTENT

Industrialization

The process by which a society transitions to machine-based production and industrial economic systems.

Deskilled Labour:

Breaking complex jobs into simpler, repetitive tasks to allow for the use of cheaper, easily replaceable labour to increase profits

Automation

The use of machinery and systems that require minimal human intervention, often used to maximize production rather than simply "reducing work

Laissez-faire:

An economic philosophy advocating for a free market with minimal government regulation, often used by modern tech companies to argue that they should regulate themselves

Limited Liability

A legal framework for corporations (joint-stock companies) that allows investors to buy shares without assuming the full legal or financial risks of the company’s actions

Managerialism

The separation of ownership, function, and control in modern corporations, necessitating a new class of specialists to manage large labour forces

Venture Capital:

A high-risk funding model where investors provide startup capital for a high return, often anchoring entrepreneurs to investor demands over public interest

Neoliberalism

An economic ideological vision rooted in 19th-century that promotes free markets and limited government intervention.

Empire

A large territory or set of territories encompassing different peoples ruled by a single power without their consent

Imperialism

A system of domination by one area over others, which can include political, commercial, or technological contro

Scientific Racism

The misidentification of biological evidence to justify racial hierarchies and discriminatory political projects

State of Exception

Legal or social zones where normal laws are suspended, often used to strip individuals of rights or make violence legal

Intergenerational Capital:

The flow of wealth passed down through generations, which can be a powerful force in maintaining social and economic frameworks

Treaties

Constitutionally recognized agreements between the Crown and Indigenous peoples, often understood as sacred covenants for mutual benefit, though perspectives on their permanence vary

Algorithm

A step-by-step "math recipe" for solving problems or performing tasks, often using personal data to predict or manipulate user behaviour

Enshittification

The process by which digital platforms become progressively worse as they shift from serving users to extracting value for shareholder

AI Sycophancy

When large language models prioritize user approval and agreement over providing accurate or truthful information

Walled Garden

An exclusive product ecosystem designed to operate poorly or fail if used outside of a specific company's system

Interoperability

The ability of different systems to work together interchangeably, allowing users to transfer their data or social graphs between platforms.

Human Fracking:

The intentional extraction of human attention and social connections through dopamine-driven design to generate profit

Potemkin Village:

A sham façade created to control a public image while hiding a negative or complex reality

AI Snake Oil

refers to AI technologies that do not and cannot work as they are advertised to the public.

Turing Test:

used to mark machine "intelligence," though it specifically measures a machine's ability to imitate or fool humans rather than its ability to think

Active Measures:

Strategic political warfare using media, influencers, and deepfakes to influence a population through hidden activities

Espionage

Obtaining non-public information through human intelligence or technical means to benefit a specific group or foreign power;

Disinformation

Funded, manipulative information created specifically to deceive or influence outcomes, such as elections

I-frame vs. S-frame Solutions

I-frame solutions focus on individual failings (e.g., "be more skeptical"), while S-frame solutions focus on systemic changes (e.g., enforcing legal regulations on companies)

Californian Ideology

tech-driven ideology combining New Left ideals and New Right free-market beliefs, arguing that digital technology and minimal regulation will empower individuals and drive economic growth.

Section 230:

A legal provision stating that online platforms are not responsible for the content provided by their users, which facilitates rapid tech expansion and deregulation

Industrial Revolution

A period of rapid technological, economic, and social transformation driven by new mechanized technologies.

Adulteration

The practice of adding fillers or harmful substances (like plaster dust in flour) to commercial products to lower production costs and maximize profit

Appfication

The shift from websites to mobile apps as the main way users access digital services.

Colonialism

The control over a territory and its people by another power, often accompanied by settlement (colonization) and ideologies of racial superiority

Crown Corporation:

A Canadian government agency structured like a private company, established when the private sector cannot or does not meet a public need (e.g., CBC, Canada Post)

Silicon Valley

a product of the Industrial Revolution: Large scale economic and social change;

A U.S. technology hub whose origins are deeply tied to military funding, Cold War competition, and university–industry partnerships.

Matchgirls’ Strike

a successful industrial action by ~1,400 women and teenage girls at the Bryant & May factory in London, protesting hazardous conditions low pay, and unfair fines

Tools of the Industrial Revolution

Coal smelting produced town gas (used for lighting). Boilers that burned coal created powerful new engines to run mines (drainage), factory machines,

South Sea Bubble

a 1720 British financial crash caused by reckless speculation in the South Sea Company, which held monopoly rights to trade with South America.

Colonization Corporations

companies established to invest in colonized land and front money for European migration and settlement and profit.

Rupert’s Land

1670. Royal charter by King Charles II. Declares British trade monopoly over Hudson’s Bay watershed; formation of Hudson Bay Company.

Original source / primary source:

a firsthand account from the past; an original document or object from a historical time period: letters, diaries, artifacts, photos.

Secondary sources:

recent scholarship written by historians studying the topic: academic articles, books,

Advertising

the paid, strategic communication used to bring attention to a product, service, or idea to influence consumer behavior and drive sales

Back to Coca Vin

An American drink originally inspired by French coca wine, later marketed globally as a symbol of U.S. culture and power, showing how products can spread cultural influence.

Outsourcing Oppression

The practice of shifting harmful or exploitative labor (e.g., content moderation) to less visible or vulnerable workers.

Data as Property

The idea that user-generated data is owned and controlled by corporations, not individuals.

Monopoly

A dominant company that eliminates competition and controls markets, often resisting regulation.

Dopamine Economy

A system where platforms exploit brain reward mechanisms (dopamine) to keep users engaged.

Platformization

The process where digital platforms centralize control over users, data, and interactions within their ecosystems.

The Six Nation

Seneca Nation (keepers of the western door)

Cayuga Nation

Onondaga Nation (keepers of the central fire and the heart of the Five Nations, loyal to the Great

Law of Peace)

Oneida Nation

Mohawk Nation (keepers of the eastern door)

US Declaration of Independence, 1776

A declaration of independence from Britain that led to increased U.S. expansion and conflict with Indigenous nations, many of whom had allied with the British to defend their lands.

Military–Industrial Complex

The close relationship between government military spending and private industry, where defense needs drive technological development and corporate profit.

Cartel

An agreement between companies to divide markets and avoid competition in order to maximize profits.

Lobbyists

Individuals or groups who attempt to influence government decisions and legislation on behalf of specific interests.

Railroad Monopolies

Dominant railway companies that controlled transportation, limited competition, and influenced economic and political systems

Storytelling

The use of narrative to communicate historical knowledge in ways that engage public audiences and shape understanding.

Periodization

The division of history into distinct time periods to help organize and understand change and continuity.

Dupont

A major U.S. industrial company that grew through wartime production and monoply practices, later challenged by antitrust laws.