Reading and Critical Review on Ghost Work
For this assignment, please read the following book chapter and articles:
1. Data Feminism, Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein (ch. 7)
2. Difference and dependence among digital workers: The case of Amazon Mechanical Turk, Lilly Irani, South Atlantic Quarterly, 2015
3. Ethical norms and issues in crowdsourcing practices: A Habermasian analysis, Daniel Schlagwein et al., Information Systems Journal, 2019
4. The data-production dispositif, Milagros Miceli et al., CSCW, 2022
5. Platformization of Inequality: Gender and Race in Digital Labor Platforms, Isabel Munoz et al., CSCW, 2024
After completing these readings, you are required to write a critical response addressing the following questions.
Difference and Dependence Among Digital Workers: The Case of Amazon Mechanical Turk
1. What are the main arguments presented by Irani regarding the role of Amazon MTurk in structuring the relationships between digital workers and platforms?
2. How does Irani conceptualize the differences between MTurk workers in terms of their geographic location, socioeconomic status, and access to resources?
3. What does the paper reveal about the dependence of digital workers on platforms like MTurk? How are these dependencies shaped by power dynamics inherent in platform structures?
Ethical Norms and Issues in Crowdsourcing Practices: A Habermasian Analysis
1. Explain the Habermasian framework of discourse ethics. How do Schlagwein et al. apply this framework to evaluate ethical norms in crowdsourcing practices?
2. How do the authors explain power asymmetry between platform owners and workers? What role does this power imbalance play in shaping the ethical landscape of crowdsourcing?
3. Why do Schlagwein et al. place significant emphasis on communication and transparency between platform organizers and workers? How can the lack of transparency lead to unethical outcomes in crowdsourcing contexts?
The Data-Production Dispositif
1. How does the paper challenge traditional understandings of labor and data production? What new perspectives does it offer on the relationship between human workers and data generation?
2. How do the data-production dispositif and the invisibility of labor contribute to broader economic and social inequalities? Discuss how workers' marginalization within the data economy reinforces existing power structures.
3. Considering Miceli et al.'s analysis, what role should platforms play in reshaping digital labor practices to create more equitable working conditions? Reflect on potential changes in platform governance, transparency, or worker involvement.
Platformization of Inequality: Gender and Race in Digital Labor Platforms
1. How do the authors apply the concept of intersectionality to their analysis of digital labor platforms? In what ways are the experiences of women and people of color distinct from those of other workers in this environment?
2. What are the main structural factors within digital platforms that contribute to the reinforcement of gender and racial inequalities, according to Munoz et al.?
3. How can policymakers and regulators intervene to address the inequalities described in Munoz et al.'s paper? Reflect on the role of labor laws, anti-discrimination measures, and platform accountability in creating a more equitable environment for digital labor.
Connections Between the Texts
1. Both Schlagwein et al. and Munoz et al. focus on ethical issues in digital labor, albeit from different angles (normative ethics and intersectional inequalities). How do these papers complement each other in addressing the ethical shortcomings of digital platforms? What are the main points of divergence?
2. Irani and Munoz et al. both discuss structural inequalities within platform labor systems, though with different focal points (class, global labor dynamics vs. race and gender). How do these two papers collectively enhance our understanding of digital labor's role in reproducing societal inequalities?
3. Both Schlagwein et al. and Miceli et al. discuss ethical practices on platforms but from different perspectives (discourse ethics vs. structural critique of data production). Compare their approaches in terms of platform responsibility for ethical labor practices.