Shaming, Striving and Partying: Normative Control in Platform Work

Platform work is becoming a prevalent type of work in modern labour markets. Initial studies reveal that platforms produce desired behaviour, despite a lack of direct control. This suggests normative control, through the internalization and acting in accordance with organizational norms. This work-in-progress, an on-going study of platform resellers, contributes an initial understanding of normative control in such platform work. The findings, shown through vignettes, illustrate distinct types of normative control observed in platform reselling; shaming, a type of concertive control; striving, a form of identity regulation and partying, or normative control by distraction. These findings highlight how normative control in platform work leverages the materiality of digital media, introducing new visibilities, and engages instant feedback structures, increasingly blurring the distinction between control and non-control, underscoring the role digital media play in the production of normative control.