Seminar on Digital Platforms

In order to reflect on the process of platformization of everyday life, the Communication and Society Research Centre (CECS) and the Observatory of Policies on Science, Communication and Culture (POLObs) promote the “Digital Platforms Seminar”, which will take place on March 14, in two online sessions: at 10:00 (in English) and 14:00 (in Portuguese).

If, on the one hand, digital platforms are interpreted as an important means of consumption and space for the emergence of collaborative social practices, on the other hand, they can also be analysed as new mechanisms of surveillance and production of performative discourses in an increasingly connected economy. This seminar, which arises from the articles published in issue 39 of the journal Comunicação e Sociedade, edited by Rodrigo Saturnino, Helena Sousa and Jack Qiu, aims to discuss some facets of the uses we make of the various digital platforms that integrate the internet and their impacts ranging from the repercussions in the field of communication, through forms of consumption, social discrimination, labour relations to the dangers of the increasingly intense commodification of our affections through big data.

“Consumption and Collaboration in Digital Platforms” will be the theme of the first session, in English, from the debate around the article “Sentiment Analysis: From Psychometric to Psychopolitics”, authored by Felipe Melhado and Jean-Martin Rabot. The moderation of this session is by Helena Sousa and Jack Linchuan Qiu and will feature comments by Tales Tomaz and presentation by Felipe Melhado.

“Discourse and Control in Digital Platforms” is the theme of the second session, in Portuguese, which will discuss the article “The Black Experience of Social Ranking in Uber: A Racialized Reflection of Contemporary Surveillance”, authored by Naiara Silva Evangelo and Fátima Cristina Regis Martins de Oliveira. This session will be moderated by Rodrigo Saturnino and Mariana Lameiras, commented by Pedro Almeida and presented by Naiara Evangelo.

Session at 10h00 (in English).

Session at 14h00 (in Portuguese).