From Surveillance Capitalism to Association Capitalism? Towards the Mediatization and Organization of Platforms in China

SUN Ping

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Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication ›› 2023, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6) : 33-58.

From Surveillance Capitalism to Association Capitalism? Towards the Mediatization and Organization of Platforms in China

  • SUN Ping
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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.

Key words

Association capitalism / digital platforms / mediatization / organization

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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.
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