The Management and Exploitation of Creative Labour by Digital Platforms: Redefining Emerging Labour Relations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71222/kysamp35Keywords:
platform economy, creative labour, algorithmic control, digital exploitation, infrastructural governanceAbstract
The rise of the platform economy has transformed creative labour, embedding it within algorithmic systems and infrastructural governance. While platforms promote flexibility and autonomy, they simultaneously impose hidden forms of control through metrics, policies, and opaque design. This study critically examines how platforms manage creative work without formal employment structures, using a qualitative methodology based on discourse analysis of platform policies, public narratives, and secondary literature. Focusing on creators such as writers, designers, and video producers, the research reveals three core findings: platforms exercise managerial control without direct supervision; exploitative dynamics emerge without wage-based labour; and creative autonomy is redefined as self-discipline under platform logic. These findings challenge traditional labour theories and call for new frameworks that account for informal, yet systematic, regulation in digital economies. By exposing the asymmetries in value distribution and control, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of labour exploitation under digital capitalism.
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