Whereas outsourcing models of postindustrial societies have previously focused on cheap work in the global south, current trends show how digital platforms are automating, datafying and ultimately outsourcing work to technology. And as technology changes work, the relationship the global south will also need to adapt. The global supply chains, the movement of people, information and things will change dramatically with the mediation of these platforms in the coming years.
This study is a multi-disciplinary approach informed by three fields: urban studies, platform studies and (critical) postcolonial studies. From the perspective of urban studies the research mainly focuses on material culture within the concept of circular economy. This includes the usage, consumption, creation, and trade of tangible objects as well as the norms, and rituals that the objects create or take part in. Socio-technological innovation in the field of material resource management can be seen as the basis of the research, which is the bridge to platform studies. Digital platforms have become an integral part of the social fabric in the urban context, hence also an important part of how people interact. In essence these two disciplines help the research tackle how material and digital culture meet as a way to design and manage a sustainable future economy for cities. However, many of the current digital platforms operating in the urban context have shown to be extractive and exploitative. Here is where this research introduces critical (postcolonial) studies to inform the two former fields and provide a critical framework to the role of platforms in the urban context.