Copy-paste paths: Migrants’ networked practices in the platform economy

Abstract

The relationship between migrants and platforms is attracting increasing attention. While platforms are often acknowledged for facilitating transnational mobility through their technologies and commercial models, they are also critiqued for contributing to precarious working conditions for migrants. This article shifts the focus to a less-explored yet crucial actor within migrant-platform dynamics: social networks. Drawing on qualitative interviews and participant observation with migrant food couriers in Norway, the study reveals how migrants’ social networks function as vital infrastructure for sharing information and resources, thereby supporting their migratory journeys and integration into platform work. A central contribution of this research is the introduction of the concept of copy-paste paths—a phenomenon describing the replication of successful migration and platform work strategies within social networks. However, alongside these benefits, the article also identifies potential risks, such as peer pressure and internal exploitation, that emerge from these networked practices. By bridging social network theory with the framework of platformized migration infrastructure, this article advances understanding in both migration studies and platform labor research. It uncovers how the dynamic interplay between migrants’ social networks, platform commercial logics, and state border regimes shapes not only their migratory trajectories but also their labor experiences and vulnerabilities.