Working In/For Platforms

Global perspectives on digital labor, resistance, and platform power

Working In/For Platforms moves beyond traditional analyses of data and algorithms to examine underrepresented dimensions of platform labor, including informal learning, invisible work, reputation construction, and the interplay of resistance and adaptation. Contributors from the Global North and South—spanning Spain, Italy, Canada, the UK, Colombia, Brazil, Australia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines—deliver fifteen chapters organized across five thematic sections, each introduced by the editors.

The volume addresses contemporary phenomena such as geolocated Taylorism, the rise of dark kitchens as new intermediaries, and the subversion of operational rules by marginalized groups including undocumented immigrants. It examines gender dynamics, creator-audience relationships, market forces, and legislative responses shaping platform economies. First-hand accounts from platform workers complement the academic analysis throughout.

Readers will also find:
• Analysis of human and non-human actor interactions that shape power dynamics, logistics, and socio-economic transformations within platform ecosystems
• Interdisciplinary perspectives drawing from communication studies, sociology, economics, and labor studies to contextualize platform work across regions
• Examination of how workers construct professional identities and manage credibility through algorithmically mediated digital interfaces
• Case studies exploring how gig workers develop everyday strategies of rebellion and collective action against concentrated platform power
• Critical discussion of legislative frameworks and regulatory responses emerging across different national contexts to govern platform labor

Working In/For Platforms serves scholars, advanced students, activists, and policymakers engaged with platform studies, digital labor, and contemporary social conflicts. By integrating rigorous interdisciplinary analysis with workers' lived experiences, this edited volume provides a nuanced, globally informed resource for graduate courses in communication, sociology, media studies, and related fields.