Dec 2025
Gaming the Algorithm: Collective Resistance in China’s Platform Economy
Hong Kong Sociological Association Annual Conference, Hong Kong
Research Interests
Research Statement
I am a political sociologist in training, with research interests at the intersection of social movements in authoritarian contexts and social network formation.
1. The Platforms of Contention
My current project investigates collective action among gig workers in China through a mixed-methods approach. Treating gig worker strikes in China as deviant cases that challenge prevailing theoretical expectations, I examine the conditions under which platform algorithms inadvertently facilitate strike mobilizations. I also explore how the gamification of work, designed to discipline labor, can instead give rise to a new kind of bargaining power that allows gig workers to exert leverage. The project has so far resulted in two twin papers (and more to come):
David Su. (2025). “Gaming the Algorithm: Tactical Innovation and Collective Resistance in China’s Platform Economy.” Under review.
2026 Thompson Paper Award, ASA OOW 2026 Meyer Zald Award, ASA CBSM 2026 Herbert Blumer Prize, UC BerkeleyDavid Su. (2025). “The Platforms of Contention: Algorithmic Organization of Work and Gig Worker Strikes in Post-Pandemic China.” In progress, presented at ASA 2025, Future of Work panel.
Dr. C.F. Koo & Cecilia Koo Chair Fellowship, IEAS2. Embedded Inequality & Social Networks
My previous research employs computational methods to analyze social networks and the dynamics of embedded inequality. My previous project, Cov-Netps (inspired by the UC Nets project), examined population health in Wuhan, China, during and after the lockdown. This work revealed how the pandemic deepened health inequalities in a unique and extreme setting — where disparities in resources and connections could become, quite literally, a matter of life and death.
3. Chinese Migration & Contentious Performance (in development)
I am exploring a new study reexamining the history of Chinese migration in the United States and the contentious performances of Chinese migrant communities, 1880s–1940s — a history that has been previously overlooked in the literature.
Conference Presentations
Nov 2025
Trees of Life: The Structure of the Clandestine Jewish Rescue Networks during the Holocaust
Social Science History Association Annual Meeting, Nazism and the Holocaust Session, Chicago, IL
Aug 2025
The Platforms of Contention: How Algorithmic Organization of Work Sparks Militant Labor Movements in China’s Gig Economy
American Sociological Association Annual Conference, Organizations, Occupations, and Work — Future of Work Panel, Chicago, IL
Aug 2022
Embedded Inequality: Personal Network Support and Mental Health During COVID-19
American Sociological Association Annual Conference, Asia and Asian American, Roundtable, Los Angeles, CA