The Handbook of Digital Labor

Provides a global perspective on labour and technology, exploring resistance, solidarity, and alternatives in digital capitalism.

The Handbook of Digital Labor critically examines how digital technologies are reshaping work and employment around the globe. Bridging historical and contemporary perspectives, this timely volume explores the dynamics of labour within digital capitalism using a critical framework that illuminates the systemic challenges faced by workers across diverse sectors. Dozens of contributing authors address key challenges including surveillance, inequality, and environmental exploitation, while highlighting innovative forms of resistance and organising.

Organised into four sections—Working-Class Resistance, Digital Capitalism and Alternatives, Labouring under Digital Capitalism, and Theorising Digital Labour—the Handbook offers a nuanced understanding of how workers navigate the intersection of technological advancement and capitalist development. In-depth chapters cover topics ranging from platform work to AI-driven labour processes—shedding light on the realities of digital labour.

Equipping readers with the tools to critically engage with labour struggles across diverse industries and geographies, the Handbook of Digital Labor:

• Offers interdisciplinary insights from leading scholars in media, communication, labour studies, political economy, as well as unionists, activists, and other on-the-ground practitioners.
• Presents both historical and contemporary analyses of labour conditions under digital capitalism.
• Advocates for actionable strategies to empower labour movements and build equitable and sustainable alternatives.
• Features real-world case studies of worker resistance and solidarity across platforms and industries.

Emphasising both theory and praxis, the Handbook of Digital Labor is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, junior faculty, and researchers in media studies, labour sociology, and public policy. It is a vital resource for courses on digital labour, political economy, and social change within communications and technology programs. Labour organisers, policymakers, and industry professionals will find it an indispensable guide to navigating the complexities of work in the digital age.