Who is pulling the strings in the platform economy? Accounting for the dark and unexpected sides of algorithmic control

Abstract

This paper aims to address the dark side perspective on digital control and surveillance by emphasizing the affective grip of ideological control, namely the process that silently ensures the subjugation of digital labour, and which keeps the ‘unexpectedness’ of algorithmic practices at bay: that is, the propensity of users to contest digital prescriptions. In particular, the theoretical contribution of this paper is to combine Labour Process with psychoanalytically-informed, post-structuralist theory, in order to connect to, and further our understanding of, how and why digital workers assent to, or oppose, the interpellations of algorithmic ideology at work. To illustrate the operation of affective control in the Platform Economy, the emblematic example of ride-hailing platforms, such as Uber, and their algorithmic management, is revisited. Thus, the empirical section describes the way drivers are glued to the algorithm (e.g. for one more fare, or for the next surge pricing) in a way that prevents them, although not always, from considering genuine resistance to management. Finally, the paper discusses the central place of ideological fantasy and cynical enjoyment in the Platform Economy, as well as the ethical implications of the study.

Algorithmic management in a work context

“…Standard organizations implement algorithmic management by drawing on a variety of data-driven technological infrastructures, such as automated scheduling, people analytics, or recruitment systems. Automated scheduling systems, for instance, have been used widely in the retail and service industries to predict labor demand and schedule workers based on data regarding customer demands, seasonal patterns, and past sales data (Pignot, 2021). In the case of people analytics, algorithmic systems leverage data on worker behavior to offer actionable recommendations for managers regarding key decisions such as motivation, performance appraisal, and promotion (Gal et al., 2020).…”

Guest editorial: Emotions in the digitalised workplace

“…D'Arcy et al , 2014), IT staff (Wang et al , 2020) or gig workers (e.g. Pignot, 2021), the implications of the digitalised workplaces and/or the impact of specific IT use on employees' anxiety and technostress (e.g. Agogo and Hess, 2018; Elie-Dit-Cosaque et al , 2011), feelings of violation (e.g.…”

Online identities in and around organizations: A critical exploration and way forward

“…Edouard Pignot (2023) focuses on the algorithmic management of employees, in the platform economy, through affective and ideological control. The author proposes that employees accept algorithmically developed ideology based on perceived benefits in terms of job security and stable identity.…”