As part of her Marie Jahoda Visiting Fellowship (2022), Hanne Stegemna investigated ‘Spatialising labour markets in digital (sexual) labour: a multi-country study’.
This project looked at work that takes place purely online as embedded in space. Digital labour, such as creation, task, or webcam work can appear as only existing in an online space. This study, however, drawing on qualitative interviews with adult webcam performers in Romania, the Netherlands and the UK, shows the continued importance of physical locations in online work. Through comparative research, it is clear that features that shape worker experience such as workspaces, the role of intermediaries, or the location of client markets, differ strongly across contexts. This project highlights the continued importance of geographical contexts in digital labour.