From Surveillance Capitalism to Association Capitalism? Towards the Mediatization and Organization of Platforms in China
SUN Ping
Author information+
Sun Ping is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and is an Associate Researcher in the Institute of Journalism and Communication at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Email:sophiesunping@gmail.com.
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History+
Published
2023-06-23
Issue Date
2023-11-22
Abstract
The current article aims to provide an alternative way of analyzing the formation and configuration of platform capitalism in and beyond China in addition to “surveillance capitalism”. It is called as association capitalism. From the perspective of organization and communication, association capitalism regards platformization as a process of mediatization, in which it connects, organizes, and mobilizes various social resources, and ultimately forms its own “gatekeeper” position in the Chinese market. Taking food delivery industry as a case, it is argued that association capitalism consists of three dimensions: habituation, organization, and embodiment. The “association capitalism” indicates how platforms undertake functions such as contacting, docking, managing, and aggregating. As a sensitive concept, it shed lights on our reflection on the relationship between platform capital, technological labor, and organizational management.
SUN Ping.
From Surveillance Capitalism to Association Capitalism? Towards the Mediatization and Organization of Platforms in China. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 2023, 45(6): 33-58
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Funding
This article is supported by National Social Science Foundation (No. 21CXW014) titled The Effects of Intelligence Technology towards Platformed Labour.