This paper asks why there is so little collective dissent and mobilised resistance in the gig economy, especially when labour-based digital platforms are used. We suggest part of the answer lies with ‘management by algorithm’. Drawing on an empirical study of Uber drivers in Australia, we found that algorithms function as a form of biopower, a concept introduced by Michel Foucault. As Uber drivers ‘life processes’ are put to work, fragmentation, isolation and resignation ensue. We explore the implications that our findings have for appreciating how biopower operates within platform capitalism and beyond.

中文翻译：

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'你不能拿起电话与某人交谈'：算法在零工经济中如何发挥生物力量的作用

本文提出了为什么零工经济中集体异议和动员的阻力如此之少的原因，尤其是在使用基于劳动力的数字平台时。我们建议答案的一部分在于“通过算法进行管理”。通过对澳大利亚Uber司机的一项实证研究，我们发现算法是一种生物动力的形式，这是Michel Foucault提出的一个概念。随着Uber司机的“生活流程”投入工作，随之而来的是零散，孤立和辞职。我们探索了我们的发现对理解生物动力如何在平台资本主义内外运作的影响。