The Labour Movement’s Use of Social Media and Perspective on Digital Labour and Audience Commodity: the Case of Trade Unionists in Turkey
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: . The study examines the extent to which individuals actively involved in trade unions1 in Turkey, and holding various positions within these structures, are familiar with the concept of digital labour. Also explored is whether such individuals perceive their online activities, particularly on Twitter, as unpaid labour. For this purpose, the snowball sampling method was employed in the research, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants, namely professional unionists and union workers who create content on Twitter. The study revealed that the participants overlooked immaterial labour while assessing the concept of labour and were unfamiliar with digital labour. It is shown that while they are knowledgeable about various aspects of the labour movement, greater awareness regarding the prevalence of unpaid labour via social media is required. The presented research contributes to the literature by offering the perspective of trade unionists with respect to digital labour. Keywords: labour movement, political economy, digital labour, Turkey, social media, labour union.
Source: Teorija in praksa
Authors: Şeyma Esin Erben, Eren Efe
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4406147027