Multiple frictions in reimagining the platform economy

Multiple frictions in reimagining the platform economy

Abstract

The platform economy is filled with hope and frustrations, utopian and dystopian imaginaries, as it continues to oscillate between benevolent communal movement and extractive business models. Increasingly, the platform economy is becoming platform capitalism, a playground of monopolising platform incumbents. A key imaginary in the platform economy is the creation of frictionless markets, an example of which are the user-experience-optimised platforms and intercoupled infrastructures of Meta and Alphabet. However, there are multiple frictions on and around platforms, particularly when we zoom out of the platform-user interface and examine the larger ecology and the implications of frictions for change. I will discuss the construction of the socio-technical models, future-oriented strategies and current practices of the platform cooperative Fairbnb and reflect these against friction users’ experience in their everyday lives, within institutional arrangement and, more broadly, towards social order. Notably, given a strong focus on labour relations and gig work in existing research on platform capitalism and platform cooperatives, empirically informed theoretical developments towards consumption are absent. I seek to illustrate ecologies of friction connected to platform organising, communal relations and growth without exploitation around platform-based consumption and how these can be amplified towards reimaging the platform economy.

About the speaker

Mikko Laamanen is Head of Research and Research Professor with the Technology and Sustainability research group at Consumption Research Norway (SIFO). He received his PhD from Hanken School of Economics (Finland) and has held academic positions in Finland, France, Germany and United Kingdom.

His research programme is situated at the intersection of sociologies of consumption, organization and social movements. He is an expert in the everyday politics of technology, inclusion and social change. His current projects investigate

• the organising of local production and consumption practices in urban areas as well as developing and conflict economies
• the platformisation of sharing
• resistance to digitalisation and digital surveillance
• sustainable and responsible consumption and production of arts