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Rethinking digital labour: A renewed critique moving beyond the exploitation paradigm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Bingqing Xia Open the ORCID record for Bingqing Xia [Opens in a new window]
Bingqing Xia*
Affiliation:
East China Normal University, China
*
Bingqing Xia, School of Communication, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. Emails: yummexia@163.com; bqxia@comm.ecnu.edu.cn
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Abstract

A number of important topics, themes and concepts frequently recur in studies of digital labour over the past decade, such as exploitation, precarity, unpaid labour, gig economy and platform labour. The first generation of the critique has drawn on a variety of Marxist, post-structuralist and Weberian sources to question prevailing neo-liberal and centrist models centred on values of efficiency and the supposed empowerment of workers and users. While these topics, themes and concepts have been beneficial in establishing a basis for critique, there is a danger that they may become rather familiar and potentially even a little stale. Therefore, this article suggests a need to renew the critique of digital labour, as the digital realm stabilises around a set of key global players and platforms and as labour activists continue to face serious obstacles to success in an era of authoritarian populism. Here, I concentrate on introducing our themed collection surrounding a renewed critique moving beyond a dichotomy of exploitation and labour agency. I also encourage different disciplines to enrich and renew studies of digital labour.

Keywords

H049N35Z13Autonomist Marxismdigital labourexploitation paradigmgig economyplatform labour
Type
New aspects of digital labour
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. 311 - 321
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2021

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