Abstract: The foundation of digital capitalism is laid through seizing and occupying data by means of new technologies such as big data and cloud computing, and forming a digital platform without rivals. Nevertheless, the development of digital capitalism and the problem of digital labor thus triggered have always been under the critique of Marxist alienated labor. This paper, starting from Marx’s Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, makes a comparison between Marx’s industrial capitalism era and today’s Western digital capitalism era. With such an analysis, it clarifies the four dimensions of contemporary digital alienation labor, and analyzes the further abstraction of contemporary digital capitalism to users. Finally, it is proposed that the key to break through the barrier of digital capitalism and move towards digital socialism lies in the sublation of digital alienated labor and the eventual return to the human nature, that is, to a society that truly conforms to human nature.

Key words: digital capitalism, alienated labor, digital labor, virtual body, class essence