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Platform scams: Brazilian workers’ experiences of dishonest and uncertain algorithmic management

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Listed:
  • Grohmann, Rafael
  • Pereira, Gabriel

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Guerra, Abel
  • Abílio, Ludmila Costhek
  • Moreschi, Bruno
  • Jurno, Amanda

Abstract

This article discusses how Brazilian platform workers experience and respond to platform scams through three case studies. Drawing from digital ethnographic research, vlogs/interviews of workers, and literature review, we argue for a conceptualization of “platform scam” that focuses on multiple forms of platform dishonesty and uncertainty. We characterize scam as a structuring element of the algorithmic management enacted by platform labor. The first case engages with when platforms scam workers by discussing Uber drivers’ experiences with the illusive surge pricing. The second case discusses when workers (have to) scam platforms by focusing on Amazon Mechanical Turk microworkers’ experiences with faking their identities. The third case presents when platforms lead workers to scam third parties, by engaging with how Brazilian click farm platforms’ workers use bots/fake accounts to engage with social media. Our focus on “platform scams” thus highlights the particular dimensions of faking, fraud, and deception operating in platform labor. This notion of platform scam expands and complexifies the understanding of scam within platform labor studies. Departing from workers' experiences, we engage with the asymmetries and unequal power relations present in the algorithmic management of labor.

Suggested Citation

  • Grohmann, Rafael & Pereira, Gabriel & Guerra, Abel & Abílio, Ludmila Costhek & Moreschi, Bruno & Jurno, Amanda, 2021. "Platform scams: Brazilian workers’ experiences of dishonest and uncertain algorithmic management," MediArXiv 7ejqn_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:mediar:7ejqn_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/7ejqn_v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Woodcock, Jamie & Johnson, Mark R., 2018. "Gamification: what it is, and how to fight it," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 86373, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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