Platform Power, Contractual Constraints, and Involution: Dilemmas and Governance of College Students’ Livestream E-Commerce Entrepreneurship
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The entrepreneurial dilemmas of college students in livestream e-commerce are not merely the result of individual capability deficiencies, but rather the combined outcome of three structural forces: platform power, contractual constraints, and involution within groups.Employing a multi-case study method, this research integrates media reports, judicial precedents, and industry data to systematically analyze the formation mechanism of these dilemmas.The findings reveal that platforms construct a traffic-locking mechanism through algorithmic black boxes, trapping college student anchors in a growth bottleneck that is visible yet unattainable.MCN agencies utilize standard-form contracts to build a closed-loop trap of "signing -performance indebtedness -termination and claim for damages".The slowdown of industry growth coupled with a surge of practitioners triggers involutionary competition, leading to diminishing returns and labor alienation.The threefold dilemmas intertwine and amplify with the traits of college students-such as their student status, lack of experience, and weak risk resilience-thus exposing the structural shortcomings in the industry's labor rights protection and contract regulation.Accordingly, a tripartite governance framework encompassing thirdparty algorithmic transparency regulation, standard-form contract control, and industrial ecological optimization is constructed.This framework can provide theoretical and practical references for resolving the entrepreneurial predicaments of college students in livestream e-commerce and promoting the standardized development of the industry.
Source: E-Commerce Letters
Author: 卫 张
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7223403269