Platformization and emotional labor: digital platforms and their impacts on caregivers' work

• Grant number: 24/19355-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology
• Principal Investigator: Aline Suelen Pires
• Grantee: Lucia Mendes Cucchieri
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The platformization of work has been addressed by several studies in recent years, which generally highlight how work dynamics change under the management of digital platforms. However, it is important to consider that research on platformization has mainly focused on gig workers such as delivery drivers and ride-hailing drivers. As a result, several other occupations are underrepresented in the academic debate on digital platforms. This is the case for care service platforms, which have been present internationally for some time and have recently expanded in Brazil. To broaden the understanding of platformization in other occupations and examine gender issues within digital platforms, we propose a research aimed at analyzing caregivers' perceptions of care service platforms. Platformization is generally associated with the depersonalization of work relationships. Therefore, considering that emotional labor is central to caregiving, our focus will be on understanding how platformization impacts caregivers' perceptions of the emotional labor they perform. In this sense, we also seek to expand the understanding of emotional labor within the context of platformized work - a topic that is still underexplored in the national literature on platformization. The research will be conducted primarily through in-depth interviews with caregivers working through the three main care service platforms operating in Brazil.