Labor-Capital Relations on Digital Platforms: Unpacking Scholarship on the Nature of Work

What is it about?

This review paper dives into the significant body of scholarship on digital platforms and labor, to develop future research agenda. The paper trace back to the concept of human capital introduced by economists and how it led to the fragmentation of production and the responsibility of labour to assemble the value chain. It delves into how platforms have reshaped production, consumption, and various sectors, altering the nature of work and value creation. Four directions are suggested for future research.

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Photo by Nik on Unsplash

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Understanding how digital platforms redefine labor and production is crucial in today's economy. The paper highlights how platforms have transformed work dynamics, blurring the lines between production and consumption. It emphasizes the changing nature of work that has transformed from 'what one produces' to 'what one assembles to create and sustain a commodity with new value'. Subsequently, the new nature of work has consequences on what counts as work and working time, i.e., networking with sectors that are not traditionally counted as production, such as education and regulatory regime, is now part of work to introduce and define the value of a commodity, time spent on sustaining relations of a value chain required from content producers to sustain the value of their work in the digital realm. Key Takeaways: • Platforms have reconfigured the organizational structure of production and consumption • The relationship between content producers and users has shifted, making consumption part of production • Continuous input is essential to maintain the value of online content • Revisiting the concept of the social factory is crucial to understand the networked nature of the internet and outernet

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