Paper short abstract:

In this work, we enquire into how digital intermediation platforms contribute to legitimising contemporary capitalism and to redesigning processes of domination and exploitation of digital labor.

Paper long abstract:

Our research aims at deconstructing the notion of "sharing" / "collaborative" economy and follows two key lines of enquiry. Firstly, we examine the rise of digital intermediation platforms (i.e. automated data-reliant transactional and labour management tools) within socioeconomic fields, such as tourism and accommodation, engineering, manufacturing, public and private transport, personal assistance, and finance. A critical political economy approach is used in order to analyse the role these platforms play within (or "above") production and capitalisation cycles (J Matthews, Beyond Collaborative Economy, 2016). Secondly, our research draws from cyberconflict theory to map the sociopolitical, ideological and organizational environment these platforms operate within, and the resistances they face (A Karatzogianni, Firebrand Waves, 2015). To that effect we ask: How do digital intermediation platforms contribute to legitimising contemporary capitalism, and potentially to redesigning processes of domination and exploitation of (digital) labor? How are these platforms used as a justification register, i.e. the use of digital commons for ideological purposes, in the sense of Boltanski and Thévenot's economies of worth? (On Justification, 2006) Is the platform cooperativism model strong enough to overcome the exploitative character of the "sharing" economy employed to sustain a capitalist order in crisis? Our investigations are based on interviews with platform users and representatives, direct observation, and secondary data compilation and analysis. Fieldwork is principally carried out in Barcelona and based on a sample of players including the emblematic Airbnb and Uber, as well as Trip4Real, Goteo, Veniam, Claro Partners, Makers of Barcelona and Barcinno.