When Emotions Become Commodities:Virtual Chat's Emotional Labor,Precarious Regime and Emotional Consumption
This study focuses on the prevalent phenomenon of virtual chat and investigates the commodification of emotional labor,management in emotional commodity production,and emotional consumption practices based on semi-structured interviews and participant observation.The study reveals that virtual chat implies the commodification of emotions as emotions become direct products of online emotional labor.Emotional commodities rely on media platforms during exchange and expression and reinforce commodity value via repeated orders.Under such situations,the platform deploys a subtle regime of labor precarity based on emotional labor performances to mobilize the constant input of emotions and sustain the continuous production of commodities.Virtualized emotional commodities have provided alternative channels for lonely individuals with emotional support while they lead to emotional alienation among workers and consumers.As such,the study contributes to emotional labor research by delving into the commodification and production of online emotional labor,unraveling the industrial ecology of virtual chat,and critically reflecting on the dilemmas of emotional consumption.
万方数据
维普
