The Gender Studies Seminar Series presents: Jiang Fengyu

Internet Prosumer and the New Gig Economy: 

A Political Economy Perspective on Users Agency and Activities in Social Networking Platforms

Jiang Fengyu, PhD-student at Beijing Normal University and visiting PhD-student in Gender Studies, Lund University. In recent years, Fengyu’s research has primarily focused on digital labor studies from the perspective of political economy and Engels' theory of gender division of labor, which involves European continental philosophical thought such as Marxism.

Abstract

This presentation builds upon Christian Fuchs' theories of digital labor and internet prosumer. In the era of platform capitalism, where social networking platforms increasingly permeate daily life, user activities on these platforms have drawn growing scholarly attention. What transformations do these activities bring to users? How do they contribute to the massive wealth accumulation of social media platforms? According to Fuchs, these users can be understood as internet prosumers, whose activities constitute the sole source of platform profits. Grounded in Marxist political economy, his perspective has sparked both critique and debate. Fuchs’ framework not only sheds light on the identity and labor forms of users on social media platforms but also prompts us to consider whether the digital labor represents a new iteration of the gig economy – one characterized by the independent labor of internet prosumers. From this point, the emerging gig economy may possess transformative potential that should be further explored.

The Seminar Series

The Gender Studies Seminar Series invites researchers to share their insight on key issues for gendered and sexualized lives and knowledges, and to engage in critical discussions about the development of gender studies as an interdisciplinary and intersectional research field. Bringing together scholars from various research fields and theoretical traditions, this seminar series offers a platform for critical reflexions and new insights.

More seminars in The Gender Studies Seminar Series