Digital Labour and The Generation of Surplus Value on Instagram

Forouzan Yazdanipoor; Hady Faramarzi; Abdollah Bicharanlou

doi:10.31269/triplec.v20i2.1304

Forouzan Yazdanipoor University of Tehran, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hady Faramarzi Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abdollah Bicharanlou Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31269/triplec.v20i2.1304

Keywords: digital labour, attention economy, circulation costs, surplus-value, social media platforms, Instagram

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide a map of the economy of social media platforms. We analyse digital labour on Instagram. The article asks: How are the users, who provide unpaid labour on Instagram, exploited? What kinds of labour do we find on Instagram? In doing so, the paper contributes to the literature on digital labour and the attention economy. Social media platforms exploit paid and unpaid labour in the creation and realisation of value. They capture user-generated content, transform it into commodities and sell it to companies. The article presents the results of a case study of the digital labour of Persian Internet users on Instagram. We conducted a Netnography of popular Instagram users (influencers, Internet users who make shoutouts to brands and influencers) and a survey where 600 Instagram users participated.

Author Biographies

Forouzan Yazdanipoor, University of Tehran, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Forouzan Yazdanipour is a master’s degree researcher in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Tehran. Her research focuses on the relationship between political economy and cultural studies. Other research interests include digital capitalism and the exploitation of digital labour.

Hady Faramarzi, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Hady Faramarzi is a PhD researcher in the Department of Economic Development and Planning at Tarbiat Modares University. His research focuses on Marxist political economy and economic history and political economy.

Abdollah Bicharanlou, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abdollah Bicharanlou is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences at University of Tehran. His research focuses on cultural studies and communications.