Labor Process and Work in Platform Capitalism: A Study on Motor Couriers of Digital Platforms in Istanbul

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2022-9-30

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Ceylan, Burak

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By linking the practice of delivery to the history of capitalism as a primary premise, this study argues that the two concepts have a profound connection. The examination of the reciprocal development of concepts exhibits the impacts of capitalism on the practice of delivery. The thesis, by focusing on the final forms the two concepts took in historical genesis, goes after the inquiry to detect the effects of platform capitalism on the labor processes of courier job. The study inherits the argument that delivery workers occupy a vital place in the growth strategies of platforms. The growth and profit strategies embraced by platforms imply the imposition of more control on labor and attempts to cut labor costs. The vital place couriers possess makes them one of the most prominent targets of these practices. Therefore, by focusing on couriers’ cases, the study further explores the ways platforms attempt to achieve both goals. In that sense, apart from mutating practices such as outsourcing, platforms also provide pioneering examples by the involvement of digital technologies. To detect the effects, a case study based on semi-structured interviews with digital platform couriers in Istanbul is conducted. Through the case analysis, the study aims to show transformations occurring due to platforms. The focused analysis on particular components related to the labor process displays novel features platform work offers and the uniqueness the Turkish case bears regarding that.

Subject Keywords

Platform Capitalism, Delivery, Digitalization, Labor Process, Istanbul

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https://hdl.handle.net/11511/99534

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Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

B. Ceylan, “Labor Process and Work in Platform Capitalism: A Study on Motor Couriers of Digital Platforms in Istanbul,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2022.