Migrant platformed subjectivity: Rethinking the mediation of transnational affective economies via digital connectivity services

Abstract

This article investigates how commercial and government-based sectors in the Philippines deploy emotive mechanisms to promote the importance of connectivity services in addressing the affective and transnational needs of overseas Filipinos. By combining a walkthrough method with critical discourse analysis, the study compares and contrasts the interface, operating model and mode of governance of three selected case studies in the Philippines: Western Union, LBC Express Inc. and BaLinkBayan. The findings reveal that the emotionalising techniques of connectivity services construct what we call ‘platformed migrant subjectivity’. This conception articulates migrants as economic subjects and valued clientele within the commercial infrastructures and operations of an online platform. In sum, this article takes a nuanced approach to examine how commercial and government institutions utilise online platforms in mobilising emotional, transnational and digital transactions, which may redefine a migrant’s subjectivity, mobility and citizenship in a digital era.