Panoptiwork Talks/8: The Work of Kpop Idols on Fan Platforms: A Labour Process Analysis
| When: | Mo 22-04-2024 17:00 - 18:30 |
| Where: | Diephuiszaal at the Faculty of Law (Room 1217.0065, Oude Boteringestraat 18, Groningen) |
On the 22th of April 2024, at 17.00, Dr. Robert Prey and Sanghwa Lee will give a talk as part of our mini-lecture series. It is called “The Work of Kpop Idols on Fan Platforms: A Labour Process Analysis ”. Robert is Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the Faculty of Arts of the RUG, and Sanghwa is a PhD candidate working with Robert on the project PLATFORMUSE (The Platformization of Music: Towards a Global Theory).
The talk will be held in the Diephuiszaal at the Faculty of Law (Room 1217.0065, Oude Boteringestraat 18, Groningen). The talk and subsequent discussion take place from 17h to 18h30, and will be followed by drinks.
The seminar will be hybrid. We kindly ask you to register by emailing m.rudolf-cibien rug.nl.
Abstract
Musicians - and especially pop stars - are not typically the first example that comes to mind when we speak of ‘platform labour’. However, in this talk we will examine the case of Kpop idols and the ‘relational labour’ they conduct through fan platforms. We employ labour process theory (LTP) to analyze the interface, algorithms, and messaging system of the fan platform ‘Bubble’. By employing key conceptual tools from LPT, such as control, deskilling/reskilling, and monopoly capital, we will attempt to shed light on the power dynamics involved in this specific case, and the extent to which broader lessons can be learned about labour under platform capitalism.