Unfolding the role of digital platforms in cultural production through Shanghai’s freelance photographers

Jinliao He, Wei Li and Jue Peng

Regional Studies, 2025, vol. 59, issue 1, 2517286

Abstract: This paper reveals the multifaceted role of digital platforms in cultural production, framing them as market innovators, social factories and media amplifiers. Employing a spatio-temporal behavioural approach, we empirically examine the daily practices of platform-based freelance photographers in Shanghai. Our findings demonstrate that while digital platforms empower grassroots individuals to launch careers as freelance photographers, they simultaneously exploit these workers through asymmetrical governance structures. Furthermore, platforms significantly shape creative place-making, offering local governments a strategic tool with which to propel speculative development of urban creative spaces.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00343404.2025.2517286 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:regstd:v:59:y:2025:i:1:p:2517286

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/CRES20

DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2025.2517286

Access Statistics for this article

Regional Studies is currently edited by Ivan Turok

More articles in Regional Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().