Trapped in the Matrix: Algorithmic Control and Worker Dispossession in the African Platform Economy

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dc.contributor.authorDinika, Adio-Adet Tichafara
dc.date.accessioned2024-12-12T08:34:56Z
dc.date.available2024-12-12T08:34:56Z
dc.date.issued2024-12-11
dc.description.abstractDigital labor platforms are reshaping the work landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa, promising enhanced productivity and empowerment. Yet, this study reveals a more complex reality, particularly in Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Based on 41 in-depth interviews, it exposes how algorithmic management systems deeply erode worker autonomy, highlighting significant financial, task, and behavioral dispossession. This research, grounded in neo-Marxist and postcolonial theories, scrutinizes the nuanced limitations of autonomy and the pervasive control exerted by algorithmic management, reflecting the lived experiences of workers. The findings illuminate enduring patterns of accumulation that echo historical exploitation, maintaining asymmetric power dynamics and dependence. Despite this, the study captures the agency of workers as they navigate and resist these systemic constraints, challenging the dominant techno-optimistic narrative. It underscores the critical need for contextually informed empirical research to shape policies that champion equity and elevate marginalized voices during transformative economic shifts.
dc.description.sponsorshipThe Weizenbaum Institute is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
dc.identifier.citationDinika, A.-A. T. (2024). Trapped in the Matrix: Algorithmic Control and Worker Dispossession in the African Platform Economy. Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.1.3
dc.identifier.doi10.34669/wi.wjds/5.1.3
dc.identifier.issn2748-5625
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.weizenbaum-library.de/handle/id/761
dc.identifier.zdb3064083-0
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherWeizenbaum Institute
dc.rightsopen access
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectplatform work
dc.subjectdigital labor platform
dc.subjectautonomy
dc.subjectsubsaharan africa
dc.subjectneo-marxism
dc.subjectnkrumah
dc.subjectplatform regulation
dc.subjectplatform labor
dc.subjectgig economoy
dc.subjectlabor rights
dc.subjectafrica
dc.titleTrapped in the Matrix: Algorithmic Control and Worker Dispossession in the African Platform Economy
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.statuspublishedVersion
dcmi.typeText
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.issue1
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleWeizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublisherplaceBerlin
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume5
local.series.nameWeizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society
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Vol. 5 No. 1 (2024)