Platform companies increasingly rely on algorithms to manage workers: tracking behaviours, work patterns, and earnings to optimise profits. These systems often grant platforms immense power over workers, potentially resulting in exploitation. However, emerging evidence suggests workers are not passive recipients of algorithmic control but instead develop innovative strategies to navigate and challenge these systems.
Understanding worker agency and resistance
Dr Karanović's research fills a critical gap by mapping the diversity and effectiveness of resistance strategies that workers employ, from coordinating through informal WhatsApp networks to tailoring profiles to match algorithmic preferences. The project will examine how these strategies vary between high-skilled and low-skilled workers, whilst highlighting the ethical implications of both algorithmic control and worker responses.
"Most research has focused on how platforms control workers, but we're seeing that workers are actively finding ways to resist and adapt," explained Dr Karanović. "Food delivery couriers collaborate via WhatsApp to share real-time information about busy zones, whilst freelancers on high-skilled platforms use specific keywords to align with algorithmic preferences. Understanding these differences is crucial for developing fair policy responses."
From critique to solutions
Beyond documenting resistance strategies, the project aims to identify fair algorithmic practices by examining platform cooperatives, industry innovations, and case studies of platforms employing ethical algorithmic designs. This solution-focused approach will bridge the gap between academic critique and actionable change, offering a roadmap for designing fairer algorithmic systems.
The research will employ ethnographic fieldwork, interviews with workers and experts, and comparative case studies across multiple sectors.
Policy impact and worker empowerment
The findings will provide actionable insights for policymakers working on the European Union's AI Act and Platform Work Directive, offering evidence-based recommendations to protect worker rights and promote fairness in digital labour markets. The research will also inform digital literacy training programmes to help workers better navigate algorithmic systems.
Dr Karanović added: "This project addresses the underexplored interplay between resistance, ethics, and solutions in algorithmic management. By highlighting both challenges and pathways to equity, we can advance understanding of how workers navigate the growing influence of algorithms whilst proposing more inclusive digital economies."
About the NWO Veni scheme
The Veni scheme is part of NWO's Talent Programme, designed to give highly promising researchers the opportunity to further elaborate their own ideas during a period of three years.
