More Like this

1. Understanding Digital Patronage: Why Do People Subscribe to Streamers on Twitch?

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3311350.3347160  

   Wohn, Donghee Yvette; Jough, Peter; Eskander, Peter; Siri, John Scott; Shimobayashi, Masaho; Desai, Pradnya (October 2019, Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play)

   Digital patronage is the act of delivering recurring direct support to content creators online. In this paper, we define digital patronage and examine why patrons engage in this behavior on the live streaming platform Twitch. Our mixed method research illustrates patrons' motivations, how patronage motivations differ from that of donations, and the motivational factors that are associated with higher levels of patronage. We discuss how results extend understanding of patronage in the context of social support theory and provide design implications for digital patronage platforms. 

   more » « less
2. Beyond fans: The relational labor and communication practices of creators on Patreon

   https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211027961  

   Bonifacio, Ross; Hair, Lee; Wohn, Donghee Yvette (August 2021, New Media & Society)

   null (Ed.)

   The digital patronage model provides content creators the opportunity to receive sustained financial support directly from their fans. Patreon is a popular digital patronage platform that represents a prime site for the study of creators’ relational labor with their fans. Through in-depth interviews with 21 Patreon creators, this study investigated different types of creator–patron relationships and the perceived benefits and challenges of carrying out relational labor. We found that creators construct a variety of relationships with patrons, ranging from purely transactional to intimately familial. Creators benefit from relational labor in that it encourages patrons to treat the creator as a person rather than a product, resulting in both financial and emotional support. However, creators face difficulties in maintaining appropriate relational boundaries with patrons, some of whom control a substantial part of a creator’s income. 

   more » « less
3. Platform economies: Beyond the North-South divide

   https://doi.org/10.2218/FINSOC.8089  

   Roitman, Janet (January 2023, Finance and Society)

   Abstract Platform economies are depicted as the foundation for a new era of economic production. This transpires through the incorporation of digital technologies and algorithmic operations into the heart of economic and financial practices. However, different assumptions are made about the effects of digital platforms depending on geographical location. While digital platforms are approached as inherent to processes of financialization globally, they are reduced to processes of financial inclusion when referencing the ‘Global South’. Analyses of financialization as a one-way-vector - Global North to Global South - overlook the variability, the limits, and responses to financialization. In contrast, a focus on market devices illustrates the specificities of value creation. An example of this is ‘the float’, a form of financial value generated by mobile telecommunication operators, mobile money issuers, and commercial banks in Africa. Through this lens, we see instances of both value subjugation and autonomization, evidence that the fault lines of value production generated by ambiguous market devices are obscured by the Global North/Global South frame. 

   more » « less
4. Illuminated Devices: A Sociotechnical System to Broaden Access to Digital Assistance

   Pontious, D.; Thelen, K.; Bettin, B.; Steelman, K.; Ureel, L.; Wallace, C. (January 2022, Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning-CSCL 2022)

   User training and support are crucial factors in bridging the digital divide. The Illuminated Devices sociotechnical system, inspired by our experiences providing online support during COVID-19, will provide personal digital tutoring, accessible anywhere, even with limited prior technology experience. System development leverages a human-centered, design-based research approach. The project will culminate in a pilot rollout and evaluation at three community sites. 

   more » « less
5. Flexible Work and Personal Digital Infrastructures

   Jarrahi, M; Newlands, G; Butler, B; Savage, Saiph; Lutz, C; Dunn, M; Sawyer, S. (January 2021, Communications of the ACM)

   null (Ed.)

   Flexible, contingent, or 'agile,' working arrangements provide workers with greater autonomy over when, where, or how to fulfill their responsibilities. In search of increased productivity and reduced absenteeism, organizations have increasingly turned to flexible work arrangements. Although access to flexible work arrangements is more prevalent among high-skilled workers, in the form of flextime or co-working, the past decade has also witnessed growth of independent contractors, digital nomadism, digitally enabled crowdwork, online freelancing, and on-demand platform labor. Flexible work arrangements reduce commutes and can enable workers with care-responsibilities to stay in the workforce. Younger workers also see flexibility as a top priority when considering career opportunities. Flexible working arrangements can also be mutually beneficial, enabling organizations to scale dynamically. Specific skill sets can be immediately accessed by turning to freelancers to fill organizational gaps. A growing number of organizations and workers rely on short-term and project-based relationships, using online platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr to connect. However, flexible work arrangements often come entwined with precarity cloaked in emancipatory narratives. Fixed salaries and benefits have given way to hourly rates and quantified ratings. Flexible workers often face unpredictability and uncertainty as they carry more risk and responsibility, and are burdened with a great portion of administrative costs (that is, overhead) associated with organizational support systems. Flexible workers at Google, for instance, outnumber full time workers but face far more unpredictability. Current formulations consider organizations as relatively fixed 'containers', which encapsulate the work performed and the information and communications technology (ICT) systems used to perform it.12 However, flexible work arrangements take place outside of organizational containers. In this new sociotechnical dynamic, flexible workers interact with a diversity of digital tools that defy centralized, top-down standardization or governance. We capture this diversity of digital tools through the concept of Personal Digital Infrastructures (PDIs), which denote an individualized assemblage of tools and technologies, such as personal laptops, smartphones, cloud services, and applications brought together by workers to perform their work tasks. Yet, flexible workers constantly reconfigure their PDIs as the technology landscape, client-relationship, and task requirements shift. For flexible work arrangements to be mutually beneficial, PDI integration in ICT systems for work is increasingly necessary, beyond a narrow focus on enterprise systems supporting standard work. Our collective research on flexible work arrangements indicates that PDIs present non-trivial challenges, but a more effective design of ICT systems for work can facilitate the integration of these bottom-up infrastructures. The nuanced understanding of PDIs presented here highlights their interplay with flexible work arrangements across key dimensions (spatial, temporal, organizational, and technological) and suggests key priorities for technology and platform developers. 

   more » « less