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Digital Labour in the Platform Economy: The Case of Facebook

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Fumagalli

    (Department of Economics and Management, Università di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy)

  • Stefano Lucarelli

    (Department of Management, Economics and Quantitative Methods, Università di Bergamo, Bergamo 24127, Italy
    Centre d’Économie de la Sorbonne at CNRS, Unit of Research 8174, Paris 75013, France)

  • Elena Musolino

    (Department of Management, Economics and Quantitative Methods, Università di Bergamo, Bergamo 24127, Italy)

  • Giulia Rocchi

    (Axe Économie Politique, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris 75013, France)

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to analyse the features of the digital labour connected with the so-called platform economy. Many platform-based business models rely on a new composition of capital capable of capturing personal information and transforming it into big data. Starting with the example of the Facebook business model, we explain the valorisation process at the core of platform capitalism, stressing the relevance of digital labour, to clarify the crucial distinction between labour and work. Our analysis differs from Fuchs and Sevignani’s thesis about digital work and digital labour and seems consistent with the idea that Facebook extracts a rent from the information produced by the free labour of its users.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Fumagalli & Stefano Lucarelli & Elena Musolino & Giulia Rocchi, 2018. "Digital Labour in the Platform Economy: The Case of Facebook," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:6:p:1757-:d:149225
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Carlo Vercellone, 2007. "From Formal Subsumption to General Intellect: Elements for a Marxist Reading of the Thesis of Cognitive Capitalism, in Historical Materialism," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00263661, HAL.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jaromir Durkiewicz & Tomasz Janowski, 2021. "Is Digital Government Advancing Sustainable Governance? A Study of OECD/EU Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-17, December.
    2. He Huang, 2019. "How Does Information Transmission Influence the Value Creation Capability of a Digital Ecosystem? An Empirical Study of the Crypto-Digital Ecosystem Ethereum," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Lei Huang & Yandong Zhao & Liang Mei & Peiyi Wu & Zhihua Zhao & Yijun Mao, 2019. "Structural Holes in the Multi-Sided Market: A Market Allocation Structure Analysis of China’s Car-Hailing Platform in the Context of Open Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-20, October.
    4. Sarah Barns, 2021. "Out of the loop? On the radical and the routine in urban big data," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(15), pages 3203-3210, November.
    5. Stefania Cosci & Valentina Meliciani & Marco Pini, 2021. "Historical roots of innovative entrepreneurial culture: the impact of firms using motive power in 1927 on Italian provincial start-up rate," CERBE Working Papers wpC38, CERBE Center for Relationship Banking and Economics.

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