"Digital Labor": Record you and me under the digital economy

Tips

At present, the rapid development of the digital economy and extensive radiation have become the key engine of high -quality development in society. The book "Digital Labor: Freedom and Cage" edited by Professor Xinxin of Peking University, relying on the digital economic background, adopts non -fictional writing techniques, records the diverse development methods of digital labor, and reflects on the new of digital labor through different stories. Labor relationship. What is the relationship between digital platforms and workers? Do digital workers have "open self"? Recently, the Chinese Women's Daily All -Media reporter and the editor -in -chief of the book launched a in -depth dialogue.

■ Chinese Women's Daily All -Media Trainee Cui Anqi

Reporter Cai Shuangxi

With the development and progress of the times, digital technology has been adopted in various fields in my country to improve work efficiency. The book "Digital Labor: Freedom and Cage" came into being in the context of such a digital era. The author of this book adopts non -fictional writing techniques to record the diverse development methods of digital labor, and reflect on the new labor relationship brought by digital labor through different stories. What is the relationship between digital platforms and workers? Do digital workers have "open self"? What kind of freedom and alienation of digital labor in the actual development of China today? Recently, a reporter from the Chinese Women's Daily and Professor Peking University, the editor -in -chief of the book, started a in -depth dialogue.

The story of the digital economy grows down

Reporter: As a professor at the Department of Sociology, you have jumped out of the writing skills of thesis and compiled this book in the method of records to describe the story that is happening today. You think the author "is a witness" and "an observer, a recorder and a narrator." In such a non -fictional writing process, do you have any experience or stories to talk about?

用 Xin: The reason why the description is chosen is because I feel that the world of the Internet has changed too quickly, too diverse, and is closely related to everyone's daily life. In fact, the theory of understanding of the Internet is diverse and full of diversity as this era. As stated in the book, I pay more attention to labor relations, but it is difficult for us to get information for the globalization model of capital accumulation and expansion. The book is a way of lack of capital operation. Our pen and ink are in labor and workers. Recording the experience and feelings of people in real life is very valuable. The life experience of the historical wheels of scientific and technological development is valuable. This is the original intention of this book to use non -fictional writing. Of course, there is no theory. Choosing the story of these people is supported by theoretical structure.

Reporter: You said in the foreword that people's labor methods have changed to digital labor because of the development of the Internet and the impact of the new crown pneumonia. Sometimes this is "may be regarded as a matter of granted, not seen by people and things", how do you find these "people and things that are not seen"?

注 Xin: Actually, what I am most concerned about is how people survived this social background today? How does people's livelihood change? We will see some women who return home to be a "full -time mother". Some "full -time mothers" may be helpless choices. What ways and strength do they rely on to keep their lives be continued? When I did a research research in 2015, I wanted to do a related study of Taobao female shop owners, but in the actual process, many shop owners could not be contacted. Where did these people go? Where do they survive? After that, when Tmall was generated, some individual shop owners who had already operated Taobao did not disappear. The new Internet produces many gaps, and everyone will create new survival in the gap. Some "full -time mothers" moved to WeChat, using WeChat and circle of friends to do business. I think these are worthy of our records, otherwise people do not know whether the "full -time mother" is really "full -time", and there are many mothers who have both positions.

Reporter: The title of this book is "Digital Labor: Freedom and Cage". Although everything has two sides, the word "cage" still has a certain emotional color. How to determine this topic? Do you think that digital workers are full of "uncertain freedom", so in the current society, how do you think about this "uncertain freedom"?

Xin: First of all, "cage" is an alienation that the Internet brings to people's lives. It makes life even more bounded, full of omnipresent products, and is constantly creating new products in an attempt to commodize everything people own. In the consumer society, we break free from the restraint of commercialization. Almost all life is surrounded by goods. Maybe we are no longer ourselves, but the unreal on the Internet. As Marx's considers, the alienation of labor, such as "online lovers", when you are in love, you can buy and sell, and the love labor is far from love itself. It is difficult for us to distinguish the boundaries of the Internet, both freedom and disobedience.

Secondly, freedom is in a sense that people may dominate their time, space, and body relatively freely. The Internet provides people with a lot of possibilities. If it can express their emotions relatively freely on the Internet, use time to use time, and can realize interpersonal communication across space. These possibilities have broken the restrictions on people's behavior. For example, the standardized work of industrial society shows "unfriendly" to fertility women. Many "Baoma" had to give up her work because of her fertility and care, and lost their livelihood. But on digital platforms, they may quickly enter various flexible work. Because she likes to cook, she may be a gourmet blogger; because of raising her baby, she can make a "baby" video. But freedom is relative and full of uncertainty. In the Internet era, fans mean traffic, which means income. The relationship between fans and bloggers is very fragile. The bloggers seem to be free. In fact, there must be huge efforts to continue to create. Reporter: The article of this book comes from different scholars. Everyone expresses their opinions, and they are closely related and clear. Why did you choose a group writing method to complete the editor of this book?

社会 Xin: I offer a "labor problem" graduate course at the Department of Sociology of Peking University, and also guided undergraduate students, master's and doctoral students to be familiar with everyone's research. Therefore, through multiple discussions and exchanges, we decided to start from the livelihood, from eating, drinking, playing, etc., to emotional labor and "knowledge monetization".

Reporter: You mentioned in the book that you have participated in the platform's emotional consulting service work and turn your sociological knowledge into "common sense to life". How do you quickly adapt to the transformation of your identity?

讲 Xin: In fact, "doing emotional consultation work" is a new role and new challenge. I do marriage and family research myself, and I am eager to learn. When the Internet provides a platform, I am also willing to apply knowledge to daily life, which expands the space and live experience of reflection. When I see people who have been consulted, I am willing to use knowledge, especially the knowledge of gender equality to change my life, I am very fulfilled.

The self -open self in digital labor

Reporter: You think that the reason for "the emotional consulting service of this era" is "the pursuit of self and a better life", and even the people in it are "open self". How do you understand this "openness"?

咨 Xin: People who come to me have all ages. They sincerely eager to grow and change, hoping to have the ability to deal with new problems in life. They can consult this thing in themselves to "open" themselves to others and be willing to change. I found that many problems originated from gender concepts. Young people who grow up in the atmosphere of men and women often feel very troublesome to face the equality needs of their wives; this atmosphere itself is greatly harmful to men. When these young people change their mindsets, respond to their wives with respect and support, and try to become a warm provider, a new type of equal and supportive husband and wife relationship will become smooth.

Reporter: The book mentioned that people's needs for emotional satisfaction "exacerbated platform dependence, and this dependence may mean a new type of alienation." How can we face this "alienation"?

具 Xin: "Alienation" is specifically manifested in the commercialization of emotions. This is that when people play a certain role, they cannot do themselves. They must be made to meet the needs of consumers. The erosion of self is not only the giving of physical strength and the effort of mental strength, but it becomes emotional giving. Love is beautiful, and the two sides will look forward to the future relationship from the heart, but in the emotional transaction of commercialization, it becomes one party to please the other. This also echoes the instantaneousness of consumer society. When people are unwilling to pay for long -term emotions, and to get quickly satisfied, the commercialization of emotions becomes an inevitable.

Reporter: In the story, the word "companion" is used in the story of Zhou Xiaopeng. It is true that people need to be accompanied in family, gender relations, and actual life. Do you also think that continuous emotional needs have become platform consulting services, and even even What about the catalyst of knowledge monetization and digital labor development?

Xinxin: People's new needs will definitely give birth to new products. For people's demand, the platform is constantly discovering and constructing new demand. The power of commercialization even transformed into a "culture" in some areas, extending symbolic consumption.

Reporter: You have also mentioned the attention of women many times in the book. You think women should take care of the requirements of "themselves", and "need support and respect" in the family, so how do you get rid of this "inequality" concept " Woolen cloth? What role does the Internet platform play in it?

建 Xin: The Internet will establish new relationships and communities, which is unprecedented. Many women find a community on the Internet, get rid of various feelings of gender unfairness through discussions, sharing, and collective voices, and obtain supportive power.

Reporter: You wrote in the book: "There are two trends hidden in the platform economy ... These will far affect human survival and ethics of the labor world." Can you further talk about these influences for us?

在 Xin: It should be seen that while the omnipotent commodity, there is also the power of anti -commodity. For example, the sharing economy breaks the concept of private ownership. It means that the use of bicycle sharing means riding this car, but it is not necessary to own this car. All the sharing economy is essentially anti -private. Optimisticly, when the material products produced by humans are extremely rich, items may be shared. Sharing is not commercialization and privatization, it is useful to make items useful. In the Internet era, new humanity and ethics requires environmental protection, sharing and sharing, and respect for people and things, that is, to maintain a good heart. Reporter: Read this book and find that you frequently mention "the commodification of labor". How should you understand the commodification of labor in the digital economy?

。 Xin: Everything is everything. Once people pay for demand, this demand is commoditized. If you have any needs, you can find related products. This is the instantaneousness of the Internet today, ensuring that it is full of any space and time. As in the middle of the night, many Internet operators and workers need to work. Because of the timely response to the needs of consumers, there are many 24 -hour rotation work now to break our regular rest time.

Reporter: The data released by the Ministry of Education shows that the number of college graduates has continued to rise for three consecutive years. At the same time, under the influence of the epidemic, the employment situation of college graduates is severe and complicated. What kind of opportunities and challenges do you think digital labor brings to youth employment?

Xin: The elastic work of the Internet or the zero -working economy allows people to enter the work field at any time and derive many new types of work. Young people can actively try these positions. I believe that as long as you want to pay, you will gain something. Many jobs have no threshold, so the Internet provides people with room for self -reliance. However, in the platform economy, people's traditional career models are also challenged. It is recommended that young people support their own efforts as their lives, and then imagine continuous development.

- END -