[Air-L] CfP IAMCR Pre-conference : Approaches to digital platforms from Latin America and other margins Social mediation, market structures, labour relations and sovereign alternatives

[Regulação UFS FAPESP]

Dears,


The general theme – digital platforms as new structures of social mediation
– refers to an epochal transition in the structure of social mediation from
the Culture Industry of the second half of the 20th Century, based on
broadcasting and other cultural sectors, such as cinema or the music
industry, to the new cultural global system based on the Internet. Digital
platforms constitute the present configuration of this new global system, a
consequence of the processes of concentration and centralization of capital
after the 2000’ dot-com crisis.

Technological mediation is understood as a dialectical process of
regulation of social relations in the sectors where these agents are
inserted (Valente, 2021). Compared to the previous structure, it is more
comprehensive, affecting the various areas of social life. As platform
studies have shown, these agents, essentially American, constitute various
forms of power (Khan, 2017), combining technological, economic, political,
and cultural, in a scenario of precarious regulation and reinforcing their
dominance in the sectors where they operate, deepening inequality between
people and countries, in a scenario of capitalist crisis.

The pre-conference will discuss the impacts of the development of digital
platforms, considering the ensemble of these changes and the centrality of
the new global system of culture in economic, political and cultural terms.
For our purposes, three themes that constitute the basic methodological
model of the Brazilian Political Economy of Communications (PEC) analysis
will be discussed: (1) in the core level, the problem of labour, which is
related to the forms of value production involved in them, the work in the
production of the platforms and the labour mediated by the platforms; (2)
in the microeconomic level, the relations between market structures and the
strategies of relevant actors in different countries; (3) in the
macro-social level, the problem of sovereign responses, considering
regulation, governance, the development of public policies and community
alternatives. Each theme will be discussed in one working shift, from the
critical perspective of the PEC.

The question will be addressed by Latin American researchers who are
members of the Political Economy of Information, Communication and Culture
(PEICC) group of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) and
the project "The economic governance of digital networks: towards an
analysis of Internet markets and competition and their impact on users'
rights". Latin America has a long tradition of analyses on the relationship
between technology, development, and domination (Dussel, 1984). On the
other hand, there are also struggles around sovereignty, which have been
updated to confront the current scenario of the platforms. This
pre-conference is related to the theme of decolonization proposed by IAMCR
2024. This problem will range from diagnosing the current situation to
proposing measures and updating the perspective of praxis that
characterizes the PEC. It will enable the debates to be shared with dozens
of other group and researchers. The methodology will allow the audience to
contribute, diversifying the views.

Date and time: 29-30 June 2024

Location: University of Canterbury, in Christchurch.

Registration, participation and submission of abstracts

The pre-conference will consist of three sections. Each one will discuss
one of the main themes and will have three main panelists. The
pre-conference will be open to academics and civil society.

Our purpose is to seek an inter-regional dialogue or exchange. If you are
interested in participating in this event in person, please submit a
200-300 word abstract indicating the themes and the panel in which you
intend to participate (1 - The problem of labour; 2 - Market structures and
the strategies; 3 - Sovereign responses).

Abstracts must include a title, author/s name, affiliation, and contact
details. To take part, simply fill in the form available at:
https://forms.gle/9tsdnGCZsbsw9yo99

Submission deadline: March 31, 2024.

Partners

Project "The economic governance of digital networks: towards an analysis
of Internet markets and competition and their impact on users' rights" and
the Political Economy of Information, Communication and Culture (PEICC)
group of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO).
More information: https://iamcr.org/christchurch2024/digital_platforms /
https://obscomplataformas.com.br/

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OBSCOM/UFS
Observatório de Economia e Comunicação
Projeto Governança Econômica de Plataformas
<https://bv.fapesp.br/pt/auxilios/111180/a-governanca-economica-das-redes-digitais-para-uma-analise-dos-mercados-e-da-concorrencia-da-interne/>
Processo Fapesp: 21/06992-1
Contato: regulacao.ufs.fapesp at gmail.com
Site: www.obscomplataformas.com.br
Universidade Federal de Sergipe