Uber jako socjo-techniczna sieć. Zastosowanie teorii aktora-sieci do analizy pracy platformowej
Uber as a Socio-technical Network. Application of the Actor-Network Theory to the Analysis of the Platform Work

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to analyze Uber as a socio-technical network and to reconstruct the role of actors (human and non-human) with the help of the concepts and categories of the Actor-Network Theory (ANT). The article is based on the analysis of the in-depth interviews (IDI) with Uber drivers carried out in Warsaw in 2018 as well as the statements posted in social media in closed discussion groups. In the context of Uber, non-human factors play a role of the social glue in creating adequate translation networks for the drivers’ work. The main questions of the article that is theoretically informed by the Actor-Network Theory are whether the application acts as a mediator or rather as an intermediary and what the behind-the-scenes dimensions of Uber are. It is demonstrated that the application is a market product and some of Uber’s interests are hidden.

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