Digital consumers and platform workers unite and fight? The platformisation of consumer activism in the case of #cancel_efood in Greece

Abstract

This paper fills a gap in the literature of platform economy in relation to consumers’ perceptions and actions regarding labour justice. It coins the term ‘platformised consumer activism’ and explores #cancel_efood to appraise how consumer activism is expressed through and against platforms. In September 2021, one of the most popular delivery service apps in Greece suddenly requested its workers who were on short-term expiring contracts to switch to freelance contracts. The instant uproar that followed included nation-wide mass mobilisations, as well as a trending topic on Greek Twitter #cancel_efood inviting consumers to uninstall the app and give it the lowest possible rating. Drawing on nascent literature regarding worker resistance in the platform economy, as well as digital consumer activism, we locate a gap in consumers’ perceptions and solidarities. We question power and resistance in the platform economy and argue that the tendency to celebrate digital media and consumer activism persists, despite evidence of growing awareness of the limitations of both in the platform economy. We showcase how the success of #cancel_efood cannot suggest that consumers are the new warriors of labour justice in the platform economy, but that their practices, enabled by connectivity and solidarity, can increase the visibility of workers’ struggles, and put pressure on specific platform players when they are about to violate workers’ rights.