Analysis of the process of labour value creation in the digital economy from the perspective of Marxian political economy

Purpose This study aims to analyze the value creation process of the digital economy. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on Karl Marx’s theoretical analysis of labour value creation in the industrial economy, labour value creation in the digital economy can be divided into two aspects: value transfer from digital means of production and value creation by digital living labour. Findings In contrast to the process of labour value creation within the context of an industrial economy, the creation of value through digital labour entails the combination of digital labourers with digitalised means of production, unifying both the generation of new value by digital living labour and the transfer of value from the means of production. Research limitations/implications In the process of value transfer involving digital means of production within digital value creation, the substitution effect generated by data—as a pivotal means of production—significantly enhances labour collaboration and production efficiency. In the digital transformation of labour, which originates from the platformisation of labour organisation and the diversification of working modes, multiple forms of invisible surplus value are realised through digitalised division of labour and collaboration. Originality/value Karl Marx’s incisive examination of the process of labour value creation in the industrial economy provides fundamental research methodologies and theoretical foundations for our examination of labour value creation in the digital economy. Digital labour has undergone profound transformations across multiple dimensions—such as the instruments of labour, the objects of labour, the modes of work, organisational structures, and the ultimate outcomes of production. These shifts are bound to impact the relations of production in the digital economy era, thereby necessitating theoretical interpretation and foundation within the framework of Marxist political economy.