Dissimilation And Governance Of Labor Relations Of Key Actors In Webcast

According to the 51 st CNNIC,as of December 2022,the scale of Internet users in China has reached 1.067 billion,including 716 million online broadcast users.As an important medium for social information dissemination and network entertainment,network broadcast has attracted nearly 70% of Internet users by its low production threshold,increasingly diversified browsing types and vivid entertainment forms.How to promote large-scale user use is the operation of a commercial chain composed of live streaming platforms,operation unions,anchors and other roles.The profit-seeking capital has extensively and deeply involved in the form of live streaming.It also makes us think that,facing the realistic environment in which the live streaming industry is gradually shaped into the cultural industry mentioned by Horkheimer and Adorno,from what perspective should we view the digital laborers who are deeply involved in the capital cycle? They participate in the whole process from live production to communication,and potentially accept the changes of the main labor relations.This paper will study labor relations under the topic of network broadcast from the perspective of communication political economy.According to the research paradigm of this school,it takes platforms,unions,anchors and audiences in the commercial chain of network broadcast as the main research objects,regards the four as the key actors in the process of network broadcast,and visualizes the unequal capital power relations among the four in the network broadcast industry.It reveals how the controlled and controlled labor relations are further alienated.This study uses the research methods of network ethnography and in-depth interview.As a practitioner in this commercial chain,the author personally participates in the production,operation and viewing of live broadcasting.Specifically,the author chooses Douyin,one of the leading platforms in the network live broadcasting industry,to observe and interview anchors and users in various forms of live broadcasting.It examines the content production activities and commercialization process of platforms,unions,anchors and users,pays special attention to exploitation and alienation in the labor process,and focuses on the representation of labor relations of key actors in the livestreaming industry,the generating logic of alienation and the practical impact of this phenomenon on social production and labor.With the development and rise of platform enterprises,platform labor,digital labor and other new forms of labor have become new choices to solve social employment.Our research on the platform digital labor of network broadcast starts from four subjects,namely,live broadcast platform,guild,anchor and user.As the key actors of live broadcast,they are an important part of live broadcast ecology.Among them,platform and guild are the main producers of digital labor,and platform provides space for live broadcast and other necessary conditions.The guild will deploy anchors according to the rules formulated by the platform,such as assembly-line package training,design and development of live broadcast content,operation of private community in the name of anchors,etc.Anchors can only perceive and act in the virtual broadcast room built by the platform and the guild,so as to obtain users’ economic benefits such as tips and purchases.This "laborization" process inevitably embodies hidden exploitation.Through the participatory observation of live broadcast by anchors of the guild affiliated to Douyin Platform,semi-structured interviews with the managers of Douyin platform,union operators and other related workers,and the 6-month network ethnography research,we find that as a new expression form and power form of the Internet,with the development of the technological era and the crazy influx of capital,live broadcast is becoming more and more popular.The development of the live broadcasting industry has entered a relatively rational stage through the disorderly expansion.The operation mechanism of platforms and unions has become more mature,and the labor forms of anchors have become more distinct.However,because labor exploitation is covered up under the illusion of equality created by technology and capital,the labor relations in the industry have gradually manifested the characteristics of alienation,which has an impact on the industry development and even social production.As an intermediary connecting different user groups,platform can not only provide various necessary conditions for live broadcasting such as screen,technology,space,etc.,but also make labor subjects and user groups rely on the platform to varying degrees through algorithm control.Under the manipulation of digital capital and technology,the relationship between the identity of platform as capital party and digital labor will be alienated.In this process,the platform transfers the management risk of digital labor to the guild,and has an undeniable right of discourse in the formulation of live broadcast activities and algorithm rules.As a labor intermediary connecting platform and anchors,the association has alienated the relationship with the platform.In addition,a series of value rules and regulations of the association on anchor management,including the personal image management in the broadcast room and the operation of the private community outside the broadcast room,control the visibility of anchors on the platform,not only makes the anchors’ own labor show the characteristics of emotional commercialization,but also in order to pursue higher visibility,anchors show the state of self-exploitation from the physical and psychological levels.Based on Marx’s theory of alienation of labor,we find that the labor relationship between the four has shown more separation and confrontation characteristics,which makes the roles and functions of the four have changed greatly.The research finds that the alienation of labor relations of the key actors of network broadcast mainly has three sources of generation.Capital logic,technical logic and degree of labor freedom all cover up the means of capital’s ruling and the infinite expansion of labor exploitation.Besides,the alienation of labor relations will cause many influences behind.Labor relations in the live broadcasting industry are formed based on the Internet information and communication technology.Over-reliance on technology will lead to the imbalance of the relationship between people and technology,which will inevitably intensify the new labor-capital conflict and produce a series of derivative consequences.We should recognize the exploitation of digital laborers behind the industry through multiple forms of platform live broadcasting,deeply analyze its generation logic,and alleviate the negative impact caused by alienation of labor relations,so as to promote the healthy development of the industry.