this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2023
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I think the internet might necessitate new class analysis.
They own a camera and editing software, but they'd have absolutely no way to distribute their craft without Youtube. That makes them almost like contract workers or gig workers - forced to buy their own means of production to produce value and sell their labor to an algorithm.
Is an Uber driver petite bourgeoisie? I think not, it'd be absurd to put them in the same class as a small business owner or petty landlord.
This is a take I have to say I agree with. If YouTube decided to delete a channel of a content creator, for most creators, that would be the end.
The "gig economy" and "independent contract work" like Uber largely exists to take the tax burden off of employers and to gaslight laborers into the mindset that they are actually "entrepeneurs."
Well it also takes the burden of training off of employers, the burden of providing tools off of employers, the burden of unemployment insurance off of employers, and the burden of most labor laws off of employers. It's a great deal!