Platforms of resistance or platforms of control? Data, Power and Networks of Resistance in the Platform Economy.

优步和亚马逊获得了经济垄断、智能算法和大数据的支持。集体社会行动的反作用力很难与之匹敌，但优步司机和亚马逊订单者之间日益壮大的抵抗网络--通过社交媒体论坛和TradeUnion--是一股值得调查的社会力量。UnitedPrivate出租车司机正在通过Facebook动员优步司机，GMB工会的#WearenoRobots推特活动正在组织亚马逊员工。尽管平台资本主义“显著”削弱了劳工运动(SRNicek，2017)，但优步最近的估值为720亿美元，尽管没有有形资产。亚马逊已经达到了1万亿美元大关，首席执行官杰夫·贝佐斯是世界上最富有的人，每小时收入800万GB。我的研究将调查员工如何组织起来，利用数字网络的力量来抵制和挑战这些公司的做法(Castells，2011)。2018年11月23日，亚马逊在英国的五个网站进行了测试。2019年1月15日，我参加了我的第一次优步抗议。它开始于伦敦交通局办公楼外汽车喇叭的战斗呐喊。活动人士将尽可能多的汽车停放在BlackFriars路上，以举行“看得见的抗议活动”。两个口号“TFL-种族主义者”和“我们想要正义”成为他们集体声音越来越大的象征。占主导地位的少数民族积极分子描述了一种根深蒂固的不平等、孤立和背叛的感觉。一名活动人士描述了他有时如何工作16个小时来赚取维持生计的工资，另一名活动人士描述了对被“停用”的恐惧。随着手机在Facebook上的直播流中捕捉到抗议活动，数字空间和实体空间融合在一起。我的研究将探索平台经济中工人提出的新不满与社交媒体上出现的新的组织和动员形式之间的关系。我将对20-25名优步和亚马逊活动人士及其对社交媒体网络的使用进行广泛而深入的实证工作。将收集二手资料，以确定政治行为者如何应对主流媒体上的这些运动。通过让工人和组织观点进行对话，我希望阐明以下问题：核心研究问题：社交媒体和算法管理如何在优步(Uber)和亚马逊(Amazon)工会成员的政治化中发挥作用？次要问题：抗议活动参与者表达的主要不满是什么？社交媒体是否创造了一种集体认同或更深层次的个人主义表达？社交媒体如何揭示优步司机和亚马逊订单挑选者之间自上而下的传统运动与草根行动之间的紧张关系？数字工具在多大程度上赋予和/或剥夺了工人的权力，无论是在线上还是线下空间？

Uber and Amazon are empowered by economic monopoly,intelligent algorithms and big data. The counter-power ofcollective social action can hardly compete, yet the growingnetworks of resistance among Uber drivers and Amazonorder pickers - through social media forums and tradeunions - are a social force worthy of investigation. UnitedPrivate Hire Drivers are mobilising Uber drivers throughFacebook and the GMB Union's #wearenotrobots twittercampaign is organizing Amazon workers. Whilst platformcapitalism 'significantly' weakens the labour movement(Srnicek, 2017), Uber was recently valued at $72bn despiteowning no physical assets. Amazon has hit the $1 trillionmark and the CEO, Jeff Bezoz, is the richest man in the world,earning £8 million an hour. My research will investigate howworkers are organising using, paradoxically, the power ofdigital networks to resist and challenge these companies'practices (Castells, 2011).Protests were staged at five Amazon sites across the UnitedKingdom on November 23, 2018. On January 15th, 2019 Iattended my first Uber protest. It begun with a battle cry ofcar horns outside the Transport for London office building inLondon. Activists parked as many cars as possible onBlackfriars Road to stage a 'visible protest.' Two chants "TFL- RACIST," and "WE WANT JUSTICE," became the increasinglylouder symbol of their collective voice. The predominantlymale, ethnic minority activists described a sense ofentrenched inequality, isolation, betrayal. One activistdescribed how he sometimes works 16 hours to earn a livingwage, another described fears of being "deactivated." Digitaland physical spaces merged as mobile phones captured theprotest in live Facebook streams. My research will explorethe relationship between new grievances raised by workers inthe platform economy and new forms of organization andmobilisation emerging on social media.I will conduct extensive and intensive empirical work with 20-25 Uber and Amazon activists and their use of social medianetworks. Secondary sources will be gathered to ascertainhow political actors respond to these movements in themainstream media. By bringing into dialogue both workersand organisational perspectives I hope to shed light on thefollowing questions:Central research question:How has social media and algorithmic management playeda role in the politicization of Uber (UPHD) and Amazon (GMB)trade union members?Sub-questions: What are the main grievances expressed by protestmovement participants?Does social media create a collective identity or deepenexpressions of individualism?How does social media inform the tensions between topdown traditional movements and grass-roots activismamong Uber drivers and Amazon order pickers?To what extent do digital tools empower and/ordisempower workers, both in the online and offline space?