Dallas Smythe’s article from 1977 is a milestone in the analysis of the political economy of the media. Here, Smythe argued that the role of communication had not been given sufficient attention within Marxist thought. Smythe formulated a materialist theory of communication, and put issues of class, capitalism, and commodification on the agenda. The article gave rise to key debate in the field of the political economy of the media and of how to understand the complex role(s) of communication within capitalism. Today, Smythe’s text has gained new significance in an era of commercial surveillance and digital commodification in the platform economy.