High-performance connections: Digital holism and communicative capitalism at HappyAppy

Abstract

The current study examines the ways in which new age organizations use digital culture to promote “holistic” visions of personal and social well-being. Concepts of holism are common in contemporary and new age management settings, but are largely undertheorized by organizational scholars; moreover, the relations between holism and techno-culture, increasingly recognized by digital sociologists, are largely missing from organizational scholarship. Using the lens of “communicative capitalism,” we carry out a case study of “HappyAppy,” a French techno-startup association concerned with well-being related applications, to understand how holistic ideas are deployed and shaped within this association. We find that that holism is marked, on the one hand, by “autarkic” fantasies, involving subjective integration and immersion, and on the other, by “relational” fantasies, involving interpersonal connection and participation. Moreover, each of these versions of holism is associated with distinct critical possibilities. We use these results to theorize the role of digital holism at the intersection of new age management and digital culture, outlining an agenda for future research.

A review of smartphone applications designed to improve occupational health, safety, and well-being at workplaces

“…The pros and cons of apps likely also apply when it comes to OHS&W. In addition, when it comes to the fields of OSH&W, the potential risk of using apps is that they contribute to the framing of OHS&W as an individual rather than an organizational effort. Studies show how digital apps can promote particular visions of concepts like well-being [11]. In the case described by Islam et al [11], the vision of 'well-being' promoted by the app under study was either one of individual freedom or collectivity -but not both [11].…”

“…Studies show how digital apps can promote particular visions of concepts like well-being [11]. In the case described by Islam et al [11], the vision of 'well-being' promoted by the app under study was either one of individual freedom or collectivity -but not both [11]. For e-health within OHS&W, this is relevant concerning individualizing OHS&W work, as the arena for dealing with OHS&W risks shifting towards individual employees' smartphones at the expense of collective fora of the workplace [12].…”

A history of racial imaginaries: Mainstreaming the illicit industry of interracial porn in the United States (1916–2022)

“…The organizational literature on imaginaries has focused on a variety of topics, including climate change (Levy and Spicer, 2013), leadership (Picard and Islam, 2020), digital transformation and organization (Hensmans, 2021a; Islam et al, 2023), the craft industry (Bell et al, 2021), and postcolonial relations of multinational power (Hensmans, 2024; Lyan and Frenkel, 2022). advance the notion of a climate imaginary to analyze the struggle among NGOs, business and state agencies over the prioritization of environmental and cultural values in the organization of production and consumption.…”

“…The organizational literature on imaginaries has focused on a broad variety of topics, from leadership through postcolonial inequalities (e.g. Hensmans, 2021a;Islam et al, 2023;Levy and Spicer, 2013;Lyan and Frenkel, 2022;Picard and Islam, 2020). In line with the seminal writings of Castoriadis (1987) and Sorel (1961), much of this literature argues that historical myths provide imaginaries with greater signification and identification potential (e.g.…”

Institutional Perspectives on Digital Transformation

“…2 Scholars can investigate the sites of technological (re-)production impacting the action possibilities of those practicing "digital" culture, that is the users of various technologies (Berente & Seidl, this volume; Jarvis et al, this volume; Schildt, this volume). Consider the role of Silicon Valley in shaping an entrepreneurial culture favoring a venture-capital-driven ultra-growth-at-all-costs model with rapid exits, fostering a belief of technological solutionism and foregrounding ideas of the (male) lone entrepreneur (Eberhart, Barley, & Nelson, 2021;Islam, Pillet, Navazhylava, & Barros, 2021;Kenney & Zysman, 2019;Lam & Seidel, 2020;Nachtwey & Seidl, 2020;cf. Malmström, Johansson, & Wincent, 2017).…”