Abstract
This chapter explores the intersections between digital platforms as a powerful means of extracting rent and digital platforms as a powerful means of controlling labor. Setting aside any sectarian squabbles about labels, the core conclusions remain much the same: these lords of the platform – the proprietors of servant apps – base their profits on rent extraction and their power on digital enclosure. Being products and producers of data – playing their part in these technical systems and social relations – are important ways workers pay rent to the platform. Platforms pitch their services as a way of turning idle resources into maximally productive assets, thus unlocking their late value. We can see the outcomes of this stark reality in the gig economy: in the creation of servant apps, in the operations of rentier capitalism, and in the relations between consumers and workers and platforms.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Platform Labour and Global Logistics |
Subtitle of host publication | A Research Companion |
Editors | Immanuel Ness |
Place of Publication | Abingdon OX UK |
Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
Chapter | 3 |
Pages | 28-38 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781000822977, 9781003351764 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781032398716, 9781032398709 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |