New article out in the International Journal of Communication
We got to present this in Manchester for the Digital Economies workshop organized by Richard Heeks, a fantastic platform for sharing this work.
The article, Crowdsourcing as a Platform for Digital Labor Unions is about how crowdsourcing is used as a tool to reconfigure relations between outsourced factory workers and corporations through innovative platform designs and the challenges that ensue. Below is the full abstract and link to the full paper:
Global complex supply chains have made it difficult to know the realities in factories.
This structure obfuscates the networks, channels, and flows of communication between
employers, workers, nongovernmental organizations and other vested intermediaries,
creating a lack of transparency. Factories operate far from the brands themselves, often
in developing countries where labor is cheap and regulations are weak. However, the
emergence of social media and mobile technology has drawn the world closer together.
Specifically, crowdsourcing is being used in an innovative way to gather feedback from
outsourced laborers with access to digital platforms. This article examines how
crowdsourcing platforms are used for both gathering and sharing information to foster
accountability. We critically assess how these tools enable dialogue between brands and
factory workers, making workers part of the greater conversation. We argue that
although there are challenges in designing and implementing these new monitoring
systems, these platforms can pave the path for new forms of unionization and corporate
social responsibility beyond just rebranding.
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