TOURISM PLATFORMS is a research project that explores how tourism-related digital platforms transform the everyday lives of their users. The focus is on short-term rental platforms which allow people to rent or rent out accommodation for short periods of time. The project asks how users of these platforms assert their agency to challenge and change the platforms’ modes of governance. The project is carried out by researchers at the Open University of Catalonia in Spain.
TOURISM PLATFORMS has 3 main objectives:
1. it aims to develop an understanding of how short-term rental platforms are governed and operationalized. We look at how these platforms condition and regulate users’ everyday practices, communication and transactions through its software, algorithms and terms of service.
2. the project looks at how users of these platforms encounter and respond to various modes of governance, for example, terms of use, guidelines, codes of conduct and algorithmic decision-making.
3. the project investigates what (collective) strategies users have to counter or challenge the platforms’ modes of governance and policies, and how they potentially help shape a fairer and more sustainable platform economy within the realm of tourism.
If you would like to contribute to the project, find out more about participation.