printNew Beginnings, Old Templates:
the Challenges of Class Analysis in the Context of Gigization and Platformization of the Economy (part II)
Davydov D.A.
Cand. Sci. (Polit.), Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Philosophy and Law, Ural Branch of RAS, Yekaterinburg, Russia davydovdmitriy90@gmail.com
Davydov D.A. New Beginnings, Old Templates: the Challenges of Class Analysis in the Context of Gigization and Platformization of the Economy (part II). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2026. No 10. P. 5-16
This article critically analyzes contemporary concepts of social structure in the context of platform digitalization and the “flexible” economy. The author questions the relevance of the classical Marxist dichotomy, demonstrating the futility of attempts to portray precarious workers as an oppressed working class (“digital slaves”) within platform capitalism. The paper argues that the binary optics of “exploiter versus exploited” distorts reality by ignoring an expanding stratum of independent workers who accumulate and maximize their own resources. The second part of the article critically examines contemporary concepts of the precariat, digital proletariat, and platform neofeudalism rooted in the notion of a new class antagonism between dependent workers and digital platform owners. The study demonstrates that such interpretations largely retain the conceptual framework of classical Marxism, seeking to describe contemporary economic transformations through a traditional binary lens. The author analyzes the limitations of this approach amid increasingly complex social structures and emerging principles of class formation driven by the platform economy, digital technologies, and diverse forms of self-employment. The paper argues that a significant portion of contemporary social processes escapes binary models of class conflict. Particular attention is paid to new forms of economic activity where individuals utilize digital platforms not merely as a space for employment, but as tools to accumulate personal resources and assets – including professional reputation, audience reach, expertise, attention, and other forms of self-capitalization. Ultimately, the study shows that for many participants, platforms serve less as mechanisms of exploitation and more as an infrastructure for independent advancement, self-realization, and economic autonomy. The article concludes that traditional tools of class analysis require profound reconsideration to develop more sophisticated models of social stratification that account for rising economic independence, diverse life strategies, and the multidimensional nature of contemporary inequality.
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