Two Narratives of Platform Capitalism
12 Pages Posted: 19 Jul 2017
Date Written: July 14, 2017
Abstract
One may challenge conventional narratives of platform capitalism by contesting the empirical validity of their factual foundations. Such an empirical approach is one way of pursuing a fruitful hermeneutics of suspicion. But it is not sufficient to dislodge conventional narratives from the heuristics so often resorted to by policymakers. Rather, just as it “takes a theory to beat a theory,” a plausible counternarrative is far more likely to displace a conventional narrative than isolated empirical challenges to the conventional narrative’s factual foundations. This essay develops a counternarrative to dominant approaches to platform capitalism.
Keywords: Platform Capitalism, Neoliberal Economics, Empirical Approaches, Gig Economy, Sharing Economy, Competition, Regulation, Cooperativism
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation