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Platform scams: Brazilian workers’ experiences of dishonest and uncertain algorithmic management

Author

Listed:
  • Grohmann, Rafael
  • Pereira, Gabriel
  • Guerra, Abel
  • Abilio, Ludmila Costhek
  • Moreschi, Bruno
  • Jurno, Amanda

Abstract

This article discusses how Brazilian platform workers experience and respond to platform scams through three case studies. Drawing from digital ethnographic research, vlogs/interviews of workers, and literature review, we argue for a conceptualization of “platform scam” that focuses on multiple forms of platform dishonesty and uncertainty. We characterize scam as a structuring element of the algorithmic management enacted by platform labor. The first case engages with when platforms scam workers by discussing Uber drivers’ experiences with the illusive surge pricing. The second case discusses when workers (have to) scam platforms by focusing on Amazon Mechanical Turk microworkers’ experiences with faking their identities. The third case presents when platforms lead workers to scam third parties, by engaging with how Brazilian click farm platforms’ workers use bots/fake accounts to engage with social media. Our focus on “platform scams” thus highlights the particular dimensions of faking, fraud, and deception operating in platform labor. This notion of platform scam expands and complexifies the understanding of scam within platform labor studies. Departing from workers’ experiences, we engage with the asymmetries and unequal power relations present in the algorithmic management of labor.

Suggested Citation

  • Grohmann, Rafael & Pereira, Gabriel & Guerra, Abel & Abilio, Ludmila Costhek & Moreschi, Bruno & Jurno, Amanda, 2022. "Platform scams: Brazilian workers’ experiences of dishonest and uncertain algorithmic management," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115622, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:115622
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    File URL: https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/115622/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jenna Burrell, 2008. "Problematic Empowerment: West African Internet Scams as Strategic Misrepresentation," Information Technologies and International Development, MIT Press, vol. 4(4), pages 15-30, October/J.
    2. Paola Tubaro & Antonio A. Casilli & Marion Coville, 2020. "The trainer, the verifier, the imitator: Three ways in which human platform workers support artificial intelligence," Post-Print hal-02554196, HAL.
    3. Woodcock, Jamie & Johnson, Mark R., 2018. "Gamification: what it is, and how to fight it," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 86373, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. De Stefano, Valerio., 2016. "The rise of the "just-in-time workforce" : on-demand work, crowdwork and labour protection in the "gig-economy"," ILO Working Papers 994899823402676, International Labour Organization.
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    Cited by:

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    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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