Surveillance and the ecology of frictions in platform urbanism: the case of delivery workers in Santiago de Chile

IF 1 Q2 HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Martín Tironi, Camila Albornoz
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引用次数: 2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Digital platforms have quickly become popular thanks to the algorithms that have made it possible to work from a smartphone. The potential benefits of job flexibility and easy complementary income for “delivery partners” have been highlighted. However, work through tasks precariously paid, the impossibility of organizing in a labor union and the constant monitoring of labor performance has put platforms to the test. Despite these working conditions, delivery staff are not passively under surveillance, but rather the platforms are a space of frictions. In this article, we seek to abandon the idea of delivery platforms as objectified entities that are the natural/universal result of technological progress in the city by adressing the frictions and local practices of reproduction of the platform. Through a 6-month fieldwork consisting of interviews with Uber Eats delivery workers in Santiago de Chile, this article seeks to describe and delve into practices of subversion that delivery staff use to resist excessive surveillance at work, where indicators such as rating are essential to avoid being “deactivated”. Our findings indicate that Uber Eats’ platform deploys various strategies that we will call friendly surveillance, which operates as veiled nudges in which the system seeks to keep delivery staff engaged through incentives and promotions. At the same time, the platform collects data and defines what it means to be an efficient delivery partner.
监控与平台城市化中的摩擦生态:以智利圣地亚哥的快递工人为例
由于智能手机上的算法,数字平台已经迅速流行起来。工作灵活性和容易补充的收入对“交付伙伴”的潜在好处已经得到强调。然而,工作报酬不稳定,不可能组织工会,以及对劳动绩效的持续监控,这些都对平台构成了考验。尽管有这样的工作条件,但快递员并不是被动地处于监控之下,而是平台上充满了摩擦。在本文中,我们试图通过解决平台再生产的摩擦和当地实践,放弃将交付平台作为物化实体的想法,这种实体是城市技术进步的自然/普遍结果。通过对智利圣地亚哥的Uber Eats外卖员工进行为期6个月的实地调查,本文试图描述和深入研究外卖员工在工作中抵制过度监控的颠覆行为,在这种情况下,评级等指标对于避免“被取消”至关重要。我们的研究结果表明,优步Eats的平台部署了各种策略,我们称之为友好监控,这些策略就像一种隐蔽的推动,该系统试图通过激励和促销来保持送货人员的参与度。与此同时,该平台收集数据并定义成为高效交付合作伙伴的意义。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society
Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society Social Sciences-Social Sciences (all)
CiteScore
1.60
自引率
0.00%
发文量
39
审稿时长
19 weeks
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