Alex Wood
@alexjwoodsociology.bsky.social
Cambridge Economic Sociologist. Researching and teaching digital technology, work, power, and capitalism. Book: 'Despotism On Demand' https://academic.oup.com/cornell-scholarship-online/book/37473 https://research.sociology.cam.ac.uk/profile/alex-wood
Me discussing our new @wesjnl.bsky.social
article:
"Beyond the ‘Gig Economy’: Towards Variable Experiences of Job Quality in Platform Work"
Read it here: doi.org/10.1177/0950...
article:
"Beyond the ‘Gig Economy’: Towards Variable Experiences of Job Quality in Platform Work"
Read it here: doi.org/10.1177/0950...
June 3, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Me discussing our new @wesjnl.bsky.social
article:
"Beyond the ‘Gig Economy’: Towards Variable Experiences of Job Quality in Platform Work"
Read it here: doi.org/10.1177/0950...
article:
"Beyond the ‘Gig Economy’: Towards Variable Experiences of Job Quality in Platform Work"
Read it here: doi.org/10.1177/0950...
Our article "Beyond the ‘Gig Economy’: Towards Variable Experiences of Job Quality in Platform Work" has been published by 'Work, Employment and Society'. With Nick Martindale and @brendanburchell.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1177/0950...
doi.org/10.1177/0950...
June 3, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Our article "Beyond the ‘Gig Economy’: Towards Variable Experiences of Job Quality in Platform Work" has been published by 'Work, Employment and Society'. With Nick Martindale and @brendanburchell.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1177/0950...
doi.org/10.1177/0950...
Exited to discuss our Gig Rights Project findings that platform workers want labour rights, trade unions and works councils with Justin Madders MP, Minister for Employment Rights, today.
Read the research here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Read the research here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
June 2, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Exited to discuss our Gig Rights Project findings that platform workers want labour rights, trade unions and works councils with Justin Madders MP, Minister for Employment Rights, today.
Read the research here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Read the research here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Great new article by @Jess Brand and @linadencik.bsky.social on how platform businesses strategies are impacting worker identity @datajusticelab.bsky.social
May 29, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Great new article by @Jess Brand and @linadencik.bsky.social on how platform businesses strategies are impacting worker identity @datajusticelab.bsky.social
A beautiful day at Darwin College for reading Durand’s ‘How Silicon Valley Unleashed Techo-feudalism’
May 29, 2025 at 10:35 AM
A beautiful day at Darwin College for reading Durand’s ‘How Silicon Valley Unleashed Techo-feudalism’
Pleased to see that Michael Burawoy's important article 'Why and how should sociologists speak out on Palestine?' has been posthumously published by @sociologicalreview.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
April 7, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Pleased to see that Michael Burawoy's important article 'Why and how should sociologists speak out on Palestine?' has been posthumously published by @sociologicalreview.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
'Beyond the ‘gig economy’: towards variable experiences of job quality in platform work'
An article I wrote with Nick Martindale and Brendan Burchell has been accepted by @wesjnl.bsky.social
Watch this space....
An article I wrote with Nick Martindale and Brendan Burchell has been accepted by @wesjnl.bsky.social
Watch this space....
March 11, 2025 at 2:13 PM
'Beyond the ‘gig economy’: towards variable experiences of job quality in platform work'
An article I wrote with Nick Martindale and Brendan Burchell has been accepted by @wesjnl.bsky.social
Watch this space....
An article I wrote with Nick Martindale and Brendan Burchell has been accepted by @wesjnl.bsky.social
Watch this space....
My obituary for Michael Burawoy has been published by Work in the Global Economy. I tried to provide both some insight into Michael as a person, his work and especially his politics.
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...
March 10, 2025 at 9:39 AM
My obituary for Michael Burawoy has been published by Work in the Global Economy. I tried to provide both some insight into Michael as a person, his work and especially his politics.
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...
Preprint of my obituary of Michael Burawoy for the journal 'Work in the Global Economy' - hopefully will be published soon. I've tried to provide an account of Michael's political development over the decades papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
February 17, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Preprint of my obituary of Michael Burawoy for the journal 'Work in the Global Economy' - hopefully will be published soon. I've tried to provide an account of Michael's political development over the decades papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Finishing my slides for next Monday's 'Soc 9: Global Capitalism' lecture on 'Sociological Theory at Work'
February 17, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Finishing my slides for next Monday's 'Soc 9: Global Capitalism' lecture on 'Sociological Theory at Work'
Want to know why @Uber drivers were striking this valentines? We surveyed 500 platform workers to find out what platform workers want! Read it here:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
February 15, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Want to know why @Uber drivers were striking this valentines? We surveyed 500 platform workers to find out what platform workers want! Read it here:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Uber drivers protesting in Birmingham
February 14, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Uber drivers protesting in Birmingham
I'm preparing a lecture on 'Sociological Theory at Work' and stumbled upon this Michael Burawoy quote from an old lecture slide. Sums up what being a Marxist social scientist means so perfectly.
February 6, 2025 at 3:22 PM
I'm preparing a lecture on 'Sociological Theory at Work' and stumbled upon this Michael Burawoy quote from an old lecture slide. Sums up what being a Marxist social scientist means so perfectly.
Rest in Power Michael Burawoy you will live on in your words burawoy.berkeley.edu
February 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Rest in Power Michael Burawoy you will live on in your words burawoy.berkeley.edu
Wishing we'd been more explicit in explaining how platforms engage in price gouging rather than rent seeking - the source of much confusion in the platform & 'rentier capitalism' literature. Rentiers, unlike platforms, are unproductive - capturing value without producing it.
January 22, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Wishing we'd been more explicit in explaining how platforms engage in price gouging rather than rent seeking - the source of much confusion in the platform & 'rentier capitalism' literature. Rentiers, unlike platforms, are unproductive - capturing value without producing it.
Finishing my slides for next week's @camsociology.bsky.social Soc9 Global Capitalism lecture on 'Platform Capitalism'. Can't wait to teach this!
January 20, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Finishing my slides for next week's @camsociology.bsky.social Soc9 Global Capitalism lecture on 'Platform Capitalism'. Can't wait to teach this!
Currently putting up posters for Craig Gent’s (
@vivaharehills.bsky.social) talk about his new book Cyberboss at
@camsociology.bsky.social in March. Can’t wait!
@vivaharehills.bsky.social) talk about his new book Cyberboss at
@camsociology.bsky.social in March. Can’t wait!
January 13, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Currently putting up posters for Craig Gent’s (
@vivaharehills.bsky.social) talk about his new book Cyberboss at
@camsociology.bsky.social in March. Can’t wait!
@vivaharehills.bsky.social) talk about his new book Cyberboss at
@camsociology.bsky.social in March. Can’t wait!
Fantastic research @prakritidasgupta.bsky.social reviewing the mass of literature on platform work resistance - a great resource for future research
A Systematic Review on Worker Voice in the Platform Economy: The Constitution of a Grassroots Voice Mechanism
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A Systematic Review on Worker Voice in the Platform Economy: The Constitution of a Grassroots Voice Mechanism
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
January 9, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Fantastic research @prakritidasgupta.bsky.social reviewing the mass of literature on platform work resistance - a great resource for future research
A Systematic Review on Worker Voice in the Platform Economy: The Constitution of a Grassroots Voice Mechanism
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A Systematic Review on Worker Voice in the Platform Economy: The Constitution of a Grassroots Voice Mechanism
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
From the other place…
January 2, 2025 at 8:15 PM
From the other place…
One corner of my office at the @camsociology.bsky.social is starting to take shape…
December 6, 2024 at 1:54 PM
One corner of my office at the @camsociology.bsky.social is starting to take shape…
A pleasure to discuss our GigRights research on working conditions in the UK gig economy with Safety Management:
"employer-driven... flexibility... really [is] experienced as insecurity... the flexibility from the worker’s perspective is often a bit of a myth”
www.britsafe.org/safety-manag...
"employer-driven... flexibility... really [is] experienced as insecurity... the flexibility from the worker’s perspective is often a bit of a myth”
www.britsafe.org/safety-manag...
December 3, 2024 at 1:53 PM
A pleasure to discuss our GigRights research on working conditions in the UK gig economy with Safety Management:
"employer-driven... flexibility... really [is] experienced as insecurity... the flexibility from the worker’s perspective is often a bit of a myth”
www.britsafe.org/safety-manag...
"employer-driven... flexibility... really [is] experienced as insecurity... the flexibility from the worker’s perspective is often a bit of a myth”
www.britsafe.org/safety-manag...
Reposting from X: Me discussing the GigRights research
'What do platform workers in the UK gig economy want?'
Labour Rights + Voice via Unions and Platform Works Councils
Read the research @bjireditor.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
'What do platform workers in the UK gig economy want?'
Labour Rights + Voice via Unions and Platform Works Councils
Read the research @bjireditor.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
November 26, 2024 at 2:43 PM
Reposting from X: Me discussing the GigRights research
'What do platform workers in the UK gig economy want?'
Labour Rights + Voice via Unions and Platform Works Councils
Read the research @bjireditor.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
'What do platform workers in the UK gig economy want?'
Labour Rights + Voice via Unions and Platform Works Councils
Read the research @bjireditor.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
For this reason I've avoided the rentierism terminology when discussing labour platforms, instead I've argued they engage in price gouging and commodification but still provide valuable services
doi.org/10.1093/ser/...
doi.org/10.1177/0038...
doi.org/10.1177/0038...
doi.org/10.1093/ser/...
doi.org/10.1177/0038...
doi.org/10.1177/0038...
November 25, 2024 at 3:38 PM
For this reason I've avoided the rentierism terminology when discussing labour platforms, instead I've argued they engage in price gouging and commodification but still provide valuable services
doi.org/10.1093/ser/...
doi.org/10.1177/0038...
doi.org/10.1177/0038...
doi.org/10.1093/ser/...
doi.org/10.1177/0038...
doi.org/10.1177/0038...
Finally got around to reading Morozov's @newleftreview.bsky.social 'Critique of Techno-Feudal Reason'. Completely agree with his critique of rentier arguments i.e. platform companies are productive rather than simply rent seeking newleftreview.org/issues/ii133...
November 25, 2024 at 3:38 PM
Finally got around to reading Morozov's @newleftreview.bsky.social 'Critique of Techno-Feudal Reason'. Completely agree with his critique of rentier arguments i.e. platform companies are productive rather than simply rent seeking newleftreview.org/issues/ii133...