The Labor Process of Relational Labor: The Case of the K-pop Fan Platform “Bubble”

This study employs labor process theory to examine the influence of the fan platform Bubble on the commodification of music artists’ relational labor. We argue that the emergence of fan platforms has given rise to a novel form of commodified relational labor. Through an analysis of Bubble’s interface, artist contracts, and messaging system, we explore how the K-pop music industry capitalizes on idols’ relational labor. Our examination of Bubble focuses on key concepts from labor process theory such as (1) monopoly capital, (2) control, and (3) deskilling/reskilling to provide insight into the commodification of relational labor. While the impact of streaming and social media platforms on the Western music industry and musicians has been widely studied, there is still a notable lack of research on emerging fan platforms in Asia, which are positioned to exert an increasingly important—and global—influence.