The connected society links together everything it can. It thereby aims to dematerialise social existence—that is its project. Consequently, there is no class struggle, even during election periods. A number of us are concerned about this.
I. Isolated and Relays
Contemporary society is a society of connection. Based on the annihilation of the most spontaneous bonds, it constructs links in every direction. Thus, it establishes links of security and economic performance, of course, but also links of conviviality, friendship, and love—even kinship. These links are created in its image: they are portable and digital, encoded links whose code is precious. These links relegate to the background the materials from which they are woven and serve the dematerialisation of social existence.
Furthermore, the society of connection feeds on the links it has created—it exploits them. Indeed, these links produce information each time the members who reside within them update them for their own purposes. The content of the messages they send each other is exploitable, but already carries, by the mere fact of existing, useful information: every action generates a trace that feeds the databases their “data”.[1] Analysing this data allows us to obtain even more useful information (for example, predicting behaviour). Under the guise of protection, fairness, and environmentalism, the use of Artificial Intelligence will considerably increase the usability of this information.
A multitude of objects actively contribute to the construction and reinforcement of the connected society: biometric cards and GPS devices of all kinds for travel; doors and shutters, cameras and locks, screens and speakers, patios and gardens for the home; activity trackers, sleep monitors, medical kits, blood pressure monitors, scales, and health glasses. The hallmark of these objects is the mobile phone: it allows us to control other objects and seems to concentrate within itself the essence of the connected society.
The use of these devices is not science fiction. It is everyday reality – the normal reality. Therefore, we feel it is important to mention the example of an object that now goes unnoticed: the smart meter. Once problematic for many, it now seems to be part of the furniture. Of course, according to proponents of the connected society, this tool enables progress and salvation through dehumanisation (humans are less efficient at communicating electricity consumption figures). But it might be better to understand its usefulness without being lulled by the slogans.
In this sense, we would like to point out that the smart meter allows for adaptation to new climatic, political, and economic conditions – it is an element of the system that must evolve to maintain order. Given that electricity cannot be stored, it allows for electricity production to be more precisely aligned with consumption: if the two diverge too much (are not in phase), then the electrical frequency changes, and this modification interferes with production – it can shut down a power plant, or even several in the event of a chain reaction.[2] Thus, the new meter is “smart” in the sense that it is capable of constantly transmitting information in real time to control centres that process this data to manage electricity production and distribution.
Underlying this, it is easy to see that this management of the electricity grid, which is carried out on a European scale, fosters the creation of new markets: the collected data is sold to insurance companies, which are only too happy to know the occupancy rates of homes, or even the type of electricity consumption occurring there, in order to optimise pricing by sector.[3] And it is easy to understand that, in addition to reinforcing the market-driven liberal society, this operation supports social control: it allows individuals to be disciplined so that they become walking calculators. They are promised salvation through numbers, and a place in the paradise of the Enlightened Ones. From this perspective, any behaviour other than that of the meter seems deviant: one must calculate as precisely as possible to behave properly, with grand pronouncements about the strategy of small steps added on top. In other words, guiding to align with the needs of the network is guiding in normal life – reinforcing the control society.
It is no surprise then that the connected society hunts down those who do not facilitate connections. Letters and emails, written and audio messages, calls to landlines and mobile phones, calls from chatbots or from men and women—these calls are multiplied to signal the obligation to change electricity meters. The worst part is that the financial penalties do not stop the harassment; on the contrary, they signal a doubling of the messages. And then there are the underhanded tactics: a mysterious technical problem appears, preventing a proper declaration; the declared figures are not transmitted to the operator who issues the bill; the rates are all switched to peak hours; the fine stipulates that no declaration has been made for over a year… This can drive people to paranoia: unaware of what lies behind the interface, the recalcitrant individual waits each time for the liberating bill – the one that says everything is in order, that nothing more is owed for the time being (they then benefit from a two-month reprieve, but the reminders are constant).
These people, thus targeted, are even gradually ostracised. Who are they to appropriate a device that belongs to Enedis, the company that manages the entire system and its proper functioning through Ohms? Who are they to claim to act as a meter, a sophisticated relay in a virtuous network that continuously transmits the true data of the world (encrypted, unlike fake news)? Who are they to refuse to help things function properly, to prevent breakdowns in hospitals? Insulation certainly deserves to be insulated.
That is all it takes to convince good citizens to diligently count their consumption (scrutinizing their smart meters, seeking out discounts, responding to incentives to consume less, buying more efficient appliances). And more broadly, to ensure they stay connected, participating in building the connected society click by click. They may know that all this is driving the digitisation of the world, fuelling the cognitive capture that provides the raw material for the formation of a fully computerised world; they may know that they are being invited to become agents of a program (or sub-programs of a program), to subscribe to the ideal of a society where machines communicate with machines; they may know that the prevailing pressure consists of placing a portion of the burden of an imposed system on individual consciousness – a common practice; they may know that tracking leads to summary executions in the streets of the United States, but they refuse to acknowledge it and act on the consequences. They know that if they did, they would live like paranoid recluses.
To maintain their coolness, these good citizens thus accept not knowing too much. It is entirely to their advantage: because to mask commodification and social control (in addition to certain absurdities: using countless materials to dematerialize lives, solving the problems it has created), the connected society grants a share of power to everyone that establishes a connection. Better yet: whoever connects allows power to flow[4] and temporarily reaps a fragment of it. Thus, private companies become agents of state security, hackers are hired to train repair technicians and cybersecurity experts, and consumers are encouraged to brandish their cell phones like weapons (move along, nothing to see here – or I’m filming you).
In short, good citizens are constantly updating their relationship with Power through connectivity. Better yet: they discreetly become Relays, operating in diode mode no less – through them, Power flows only in one direction; no opposing message can reach the sources of Power. Thus, the Relays distance themselves from the isolated, and isolate them even further. Let’s even say that as the Relays map the world, participating in the click-clatter of a world going cloud-based, the isolated vanish. The Relays live without fanfare or any desire for action, but in this sense, they are highly effective. Through them, all opposition is softened in an endless connection—aided by calculation, comparison, and the argument of accounting precision.
In the connected society, there is no class struggle.
[1] In the connected society, even rubbish bins are equipped with barcodes, even robots ask humans to prove they are not robots – in order to extract information from them.
[2] In this regard, we must remember the April 2025 blackout in Spain (which also affected Portugal, Andorra, and some areas in the Southwest of France).
[3] This is already the case with the “tempo contract” in France: the price of electricity increases according to overall global consumption.
[4]Power line communication (PLC) seems to express the essence of Power: circulation – the kind that the Economy loves (free trade agreements accelerate it, recalcitrant farmers are ordered not to obstruct circulation).
*The original title of the article – “Manifeste du parti grumaliste” – or, more specifically, the word “grumaliste”, is not easy to translate. To the best of our knowledge, it suggests a supporter or adept of passive resistance, a Bartlebylike character who prefers not to participate in the relationships of power of a “connected society”.
Manifeste du parti grumaliste*
From lundimatin #512 (16/03/2026)
The connected society links together everything it can. It thereby aims to dematerialise social existence—that is its project. Consequently, there is no class struggle, even during election periods. A number of us are concerned about this.
I. Isolated and Relays
Contemporary society is a society of connection. Based on the annihilation of the most spontaneous bonds, it constructs links in every direction. Thus, it establishes links of security and economic performance, of course, but also links of conviviality, friendship, and love—even kinship. These links are created in its image: they are portable and digital, encoded links whose code is precious. These links relegate to the background the materials from which they are woven and serve the dematerialisation of social existence.
Furthermore, the society of connection feeds on the links it has created—it exploits them. Indeed, these links produce information each time the members who reside within them update them for their own purposes. The content of the messages they send each other is exploitable, but already carries, by the mere fact of existing, useful information: every action generates a trace that feeds the databases their “data”.[1] Analysing this data allows us to obtain even more useful information (for example, predicting behaviour). Under the guise of protection, fairness, and environmentalism, the use of Artificial Intelligence will considerably increase the usability of this information.
A multitude of objects actively contribute to the construction and reinforcement of the connected society: biometric cards and GPS devices of all kinds for travel; doors and shutters, cameras and locks, screens and speakers, patios and gardens for the home; activity trackers, sleep monitors, medical kits, blood pressure monitors, scales, and health glasses. The hallmark of these objects is the mobile phone: it allows us to control other objects and seems to concentrate within itself the essence of the connected society.
The use of these devices is not science fiction. It is everyday reality – the normal reality. Therefore, we feel it is important to mention the example of an object that now goes unnoticed: the smart meter. Once problematic for many, it now seems to be part of the furniture. Of course, according to proponents of the connected society, this tool enables progress and salvation through dehumanisation (humans are less efficient at communicating electricity consumption figures). But it might be better to understand its usefulness without being lulled by the slogans.
In this sense, we would like to point out that the smart meter allows for adaptation to new climatic, political, and economic conditions – it is an element of the system that must evolve to maintain order. Given that electricity cannot be stored, it allows for electricity production to be more precisely aligned with consumption: if the two diverge too much (are not in phase), then the electrical frequency changes, and this modification interferes with production – it can shut down a power plant, or even several in the event of a chain reaction.[2] Thus, the new meter is “smart” in the sense that it is capable of constantly transmitting information in real time to control centres that process this data to manage electricity production and distribution.
Underlying this, it is easy to see that this management of the electricity grid, which is carried out on a European scale, fosters the creation of new markets: the collected data is sold to insurance companies, which are only too happy to know the occupancy rates of homes, or even the type of electricity consumption occurring there, in order to optimise pricing by sector.[3] And it is easy to understand that, in addition to reinforcing the market-driven liberal society, this operation supports social control: it allows individuals to be disciplined so that they become walking calculators. They are promised salvation through numbers, and a place in the paradise of the Enlightened Ones. From this perspective, any behaviour other than that of the meter seems deviant: one must calculate as precisely as possible to behave properly, with grand pronouncements about the strategy of small steps added on top. In other words, guiding to align with the needs of the network is guiding in normal life – reinforcing the control society.
It is no surprise then that the connected society hunts down those who do not facilitate connections. Letters and emails, written and audio messages, calls to landlines and mobile phones, calls from chatbots or from men and women—these calls are multiplied to signal the obligation to change electricity meters. The worst part is that the financial penalties do not stop the harassment; on the contrary, they signal a doubling of the messages. And then there are the underhanded tactics: a mysterious technical problem appears, preventing a proper declaration; the declared figures are not transmitted to the operator who issues the bill; the rates are all switched to peak hours; the fine stipulates that no declaration has been made for over a year… This can drive people to paranoia: unaware of what lies behind the interface, the recalcitrant individual waits each time for the liberating bill – the one that says everything is in order, that nothing more is owed for the time being (they then benefit from a two-month reprieve, but the reminders are constant).
These people, thus targeted, are even gradually ostracised. Who are they to appropriate a device that belongs to Enedis, the company that manages the entire system and its proper functioning through Ohms? Who are they to claim to act as a meter, a sophisticated relay in a virtuous network that continuously transmits the true data of the world (encrypted, unlike fake news)? Who are they to refuse to help things function properly, to prevent breakdowns in hospitals? Insulation certainly deserves to be insulated.
That is all it takes to convince good citizens to diligently count their consumption (scrutinizing their smart meters, seeking out discounts, responding to incentives to consume less, buying more efficient appliances). And more broadly, to ensure they stay connected, participating in building the connected society click by click. They may know that all this is driving the digitisation of the world, fuelling the cognitive capture that provides the raw material for the formation of a fully computerised world; they may know that they are being invited to become agents of a program (or sub-programs of a program), to subscribe to the ideal of a society where machines communicate with machines; they may know that the prevailing pressure consists of placing a portion of the burden of an imposed system on individual consciousness – a common practice; they may know that tracking leads to summary executions in the streets of the United States, but they refuse to acknowledge it and act on the consequences. They know that if they did, they would live like paranoid recluses.
To maintain their coolness, these good citizens thus accept not knowing too much. It is entirely to their advantage: because to mask commodification and social control (in addition to certain absurdities: using countless materials to dematerialize lives, solving the problems it has created), the connected society grants a share of power to everyone that establishes a connection. Better yet: whoever connects allows power to flow[4] and temporarily reaps a fragment of it. Thus, private companies become agents of state security, hackers are hired to train repair technicians and cybersecurity experts, and consumers are encouraged to brandish their cell phones like weapons (move along, nothing to see here – or I’m filming you).
In short, good citizens are constantly updating their relationship with Power through connectivity. Better yet: they discreetly become Relays, operating in diode mode no less – through them, Power flows only in one direction; no opposing message can reach the sources of Power. Thus, the Relays distance themselves from the isolated, and isolate them even further. Let’s even say that as the Relays map the world, participating in the click-clatter of a world going cloud-based, the isolated vanish. The Relays live without fanfare or any desire for action, but in this sense, they are highly effective. Through them, all opposition is softened in an endless connection—aided by calculation, comparison, and the argument of accounting precision.
In the connected society, there is no class struggle.
[1] In the connected society, even rubbish bins are equipped with barcodes, even robots ask humans to prove they are not robots – in order to extract information from them.
[2] In this regard, we must remember the April 2025 blackout in Spain (which also affected Portugal, Andorra, and some areas in the Southwest of France).
[3] This is already the case with the “tempo contract” in France: the price of electricity increases according to overall global consumption.
[4] Power line communication (PLC) seems to express the essence of Power: circulation – the kind that the Economy loves (free trade agreements accelerate it, recalcitrant farmers are ordered not to obstruct circulation).
*The original title of the article – “Manifeste du parti grumaliste” – or, more specifically, the word “grumaliste”, is not easy to translate. To the best of our knowledge, it suggests a supporter or adept of passive resistance, a Bartleby like character who prefers not to participate in the relationships of power of a “connected society”.