Investigating Platforms. A Critical Lexicon
by PLUS (Platform Labour in Urban Spaces)
pp. 164-187 Issue 17 (9,1) – January-June 2022 ISSN (online): 2539/2239 ISSN (print): 2389-8232 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14718/SoftPower.2022.9.1.8
Abstract
The aim of this article is to propose an interpretative grid and a critical lexicon through which it is possible to frame in theoretical and methodological terms the disruptions and tendencies of platform urbanism and the main platform labour challenges. The article is organized along seven keywords as a set of tools for expanding and enriching the current debate on these transformations. We will start framing main features of platforms in terms of space and time organization, and then consider their role in social infrastructure as well as their impact on labour organization, not only in terms of value production but also in terms of production of inequalities and resistances. Finally, we will highlight how political categories as sovereignty must be reconsidered due to platforms expansion.