Nothing is inevitable
The flexibility imaginary in the Chinese platform economy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6443547 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kirsikka Grön (0000-0001-8943-9391, University of Helsinki), M Ruckenstein (0000-0002-7600-1419, University of Helsinki), Zhuo Chen (0000-0002-5351-3489, University of Helsinki) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1945-1961 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Media & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14614448251314404 |
| OpenAlex | W4409106766 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 34 |
This article explores how the political–economic balancing of state interests and potential state intervention influences everyday perceptions of platform companies in China. We introduce the term “flexibility imaginary” to describe the adaptability and responsiveness exhibited by our research participants in Hangzhou amid changing conditions and unforeseen transitions. Focusing on the flexibility imaginary aids in unpacking the assumptions, values, and expectations embedded in how societies deal with uncertainty and transformation. By zooming in on the notion of replaceability as a key feature of the flexibility imaginary, we explain how platform companies have become integral yet are still seen as transient elements of daily life. We demonstrate that while the flexibility imaginary shapes local interpretations and political dynamics, it does not challenge the state–corporate digital paradigm that underpins everyday existence. Understanding these limits is crucial for exploring future developments
Business · China · Chinese economy · Economic system · Economics · Economy · Flexibility (engineering · Industrial organization · Management · Political science · Sociology · Telecommunications · The Imaginary · Computer Science · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Psychology
Super-Sticky Wechat and Chinese Society
Disconnect
Dependent, Distracted, Bored
The platformization of Chinese Society
The Alternative Epistemologies of Data Activism
Decentering technology in discourse on discrimination
The algorithmic imaginary
Market in State
‘Not the Real Me’
Introduction
Platformativity
Dimensions of autonomy in human–algorithm relations
The limits of the imaginary
Seeing the forest for the trees
Managing visibility on YouTube through algorithmic gossip
The corporate cultivation of digital resignation
Decoding algorithms
On super apps and app stores
The shadow banning controversy
Media power in digital Asia
Folk theories of algorithms
A regional and historical approach to platform capitalism
WeChat as infrastructure
The social imaginaries of data activism
Platform Imaginaries and Dutch Public Service Media
Algorithms, advertising and the intimacy of surveillance
Digitalizing the State
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |