At the end of the project, we aim:
1 – To demonstrate that precarisation, accelerated by digital technologies, is fuelling the far-right surge by providing a platform for anti-political sentiments, aspirational entrepreneurialism, hyper-individualism, and a distorted view of meritocracy. The classic sociological literature has already demonstrated that the non-organisation of labour can lead to reactionary political views, driven by flexible ties and unprotected labour. However, our multi-method study aims to show how technology not only accelerates this process but also radicalises it. The precarisation of life and economic practices fosters active and reactive emotions. In particular, resentment focused on local and territorialised experiences plays a more significant role than abstract enemies created on social media. Thus, the project also aims to show that debates on misinformation should shift their focus towards local, territorialised forms of influence.
2 – To prove that the expanding digital marketing field, especially in Brazil, is marked by the false promise that individuals can succeed by conducting business on social media. Our database tracks 1 million micro-digital entrepreneurs to assess their growth over a three-year period. Preliminary data already indicate that these individuals are stagnating.
3 – To innovate methodologically through the unique combination of intensive ethnography and extensive computational approaches. To date, this combination has successfully captured the individual stories of the underprivileged, who are platformised but too poor to be visible in the statistics provided by international organisations, governments, and academic studies.
4 – To redefine the concept of platform work and recommend the inclusion of social media in discussions on the platformisation of labour. By focusing solely on labour platforms, international organisations and governments overlook the hidden story of millions of people who are working via social media and are equally platformised. Our innovative methods have shown that around 25% of Brazil’s economically active population is working in unregulated conditions on social media.
