Time, Space, and the Becoming of Chance in Platform Capitalism

Yingqin Zheng () and Zhiyi Li
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Yingqin Zheng: University of Essex
Zhiyi Li: Hangzhou Normal University

Chapter Chapter 5 in Historicity in Organization Studies, 2025, pp 99-122 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Chance represents a potential event that might occur at a future juncture of space and time, yet not to be predetermined. It entails possibility, opportunity, fortune, and also risk. This chapter explores the notion of chance as potential events arising from sociomaterial, spatial, and temporal interactions. As a locus of unpredictability and surprise, chance could be seen as prefigured and configured by the dynamic mechanisms of sociotechnical assemblages. Drawing upon a case of grassroots livestream influencers seeking a chance of quick fortune on China’s short video platforms, this chapter delves into the temporal and spatial politics of chance, highlighting how serendipity is shaped by unequally distributed opportunities and resources in algorithmic capitalism.

Keywords: Time; Space; Chance; Event; Algorithm; Platform (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-88938-7_5

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