Platform Logics

SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM

Coined by Shoshana Zuboff, surveillance capitalism outlines how economic systems within platforms extract behavioral data and then algorithmically match attention and people, which can make certain populations highly targetable (e.g., age, economic status, emotional signals) (Zuboff 2019). Algorithms that optimize engagement may amplify exploitative content. Racial capitalism and intersectional political economy show that platform harms are not removed from racialized exploitation. Algorithmic targeting and labor precarity intersect with race, migration status, and gendered social hierarchies, concentrating risk for marginalized groups. Combining this with migration and border regimes further demonstrates how platform recruitment targets migrants and refugees.

HOW PLATFORM LOGICS AMPLIFY HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Social media and digital platforms create new pathways for traffickers to target vulnerable individuals. Recent data shows that social media has become a major gateway for human trafficking. The UNODC reports a global surge in online recruitment, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, while the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline found more than a 20% increase in cases beginning online in 2020. Analyses by the Human Trafficking Institute reveal that mainstream platforms are among the most common tools for recruitment. Studies also show traffickers frequently use fake job ads, DMs, and algorithm-boosted content to target vulnerable users, especially migrants, minors, and those seeking work. Algorithms designed to maximize engagement can unintentionally amplify exploitative posts, making trafficking offers and grooming content more discoverable. Marketplace and payment features such as classifieds, crypto, or third-party pay systems enable financial transactions that are difficult to trace. Once contact is established, traffickers use the same platforms to monitor, threaten, or isolate victims through digital surveillance and coercion. This demonstrates how everyday platform features can amplify exploitation. Understanding these mechanisms reveals how the very design of online systems, including optimization, anonymity, and reach, can sustain modern trafficking networks.