Platform Socialism

• In Event: Democratizing Digital Tech? Democratic Prospects and Pitfalls in the Digital Age

Abstract

Tech companies have been criticized for their surveillance practices, privacy breaches and monopolistic ambitions. Instead of inquiring as to how we could ‘fix’ Facebook this paper proposes what alternatives could replace them. It presents the idea of platform socialism - the organization of the digital economy through the social ownership of digital assets and democratic control over the infrastructure and systems that govern our digital lives. This framework facilitates holistic thinking about the systemic nature of the problems we face and the need for genuine alternatives. To develop the principles and institutional sketch of platform socialism, I draw inspiration from the writings of two early twentieth century writers: the libertarian socialist, G. D. H. Cole and the Austrian philosopher and economist Otto Neurath. I propose new forms of participatory and decentralized governance through an ecosystem of alternative ownership models of digital platforms. How would socially-owned and controlled apps operate in transport, food delivery and short-term accommodation? Drawing from historical examples and contemporary prototypes, platform socialism seeks to reclaim a long-term counter-hegemonic project for challenging capitalist control over technology.

Author

• James Muldoon, University of Exeter