Platform Capitalism, Platform Cooperativism and The Commons in Türkiye
in: Platform Capitalism in Türkiye, İsa Demir,Himmet Hülür, Editor, Cambridge Scholars Publishing Ltd, Newcastle Upon Tyne, pp.358-391, 2026
- Publication Type: Book Chapter / Chapter Research Book
- Publication Date: 2026
- Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing Ltd
- City: Newcastle Upon Tyne
- Page Numbers: pp.358-391
- Editors: İsa Demir,Himmet Hülür, Editor
- Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This chapter traces the evolution of digital capitalism and explores how alternative models—platform cooperativism and the commons—emerge in response to its contradictions. Situating Türkiye within global transformations in information and communication technologies, it examines how digital platforms have become central to accumulation, labor flexibilization, and data monopolization. Drawing on extensive comparative data, the study highlights Türkiye’s hybrid digitalization process: a rapidly expanding user base and platform economy marked by structural dependency on global technology monopolies. Against this backdrop, the chapter investigates the rise of cooperative and commons-based initiatives—such as BiKoop, Good4Trust, Ortaklaşa, Albatros, and Ekoharita—that embody democratic ownership, participatory governance, and ethical value chains. These initiatives exemplify how digital infrastructures can be repurposed for collective benefit, reimagining data and technology as shared commons rather than instruments of capital accumulation. By linking theoretical debates with empirical evidence from Türkiye, the study argues that platform cooperativism and open cooperativism represent viable pathways toward a more equitable digital future—where innovation, solidarity, and sustainability converge to challenge the monopolistic logic of platform capitalism.This chapter traces the evolution of digital capitalism and explores how alternative models—platform cooperativism and the commons—emerge in response to its contradictions. Situating Türkiye within global transformations in information and communication technologies, it examines how digital platforms have become central to accumulation, labor flexibilization, and data monopolization. Drawing on extensive comparative data, the study highlights Türkiye’s hybrid digitalization process: a rapidly expanding user base and platform economy marked by structural dependency on global technology monopolies. Against this backdrop, the chapter investigates the rise of cooperative and commons-based initiatives—such as BiKoop, Good4Trust, Ortaklaşa, Albatros, and Ekoharita—that embody democratic ownership, participatory governance, and ethical value chains. These initiatives exemplify how digital infrastructures can be repurposed for collective benefit, reimagining data and technology as shared commons rather than instruments of capital accumulation. By linking theoretical debates with empirical evidence from Türkiye, the study argues that platform cooperativism and open cooperativism represent viable pathways toward a more equitable digital future—where innovation, solidarity, and sustainability converge to challenge the monopolistic logic of platform capitalism.