Back in 2017, we set up the European Network on Digital Labor with a few friends. The project evolved into INDL (International Network on Digital Labor) two years later. Now, hundreds of colleagues attend our annual conference…
The 6th INDL Conference closed on October 11th at the Weisenbaum Institute in Berlin. With three keynotes and more than 100 presentations and speakers over the span of three days, the conference welcomed researchers from all over the world. A special emphasis was put on expanding beyond the frontiers of Europe: The INDL team was proud to welcome talented researchers from India, Brazil, Mexico, and many more countries, whose contributions are vital to the field of digital labor.
Six years after the first event of its kind, the network of scholars and researchers in the critical studies on digital labor that gathered in Berlin has expanded significantly. From cab drivers in Mexico City and food delivery workers in Rio de Janeiro to data annotators in South India, these researchers offered a comprehensive perspective on the network of digital labor, platform workers, and their place in the Global Chains of Value.
With three keynotes from Kylie Jarret ( on the assetization of workers), Jack Linchuan Qiu (on the « Softbank empire »), and Aida Ponce del Castillo (on European policies and digital management), the conference also emphasized structural and institutional elements that contextualize digital labor in the contemporary world. The conference also featured Fair Work and Algorithm Watch presentations, two NGOs specialized in digital platform workers and algorithmic surveillance. They provided concrete evidence and elements not just for thought, but also for action.
Although it would take too long to acknowledge everyone who made this event possible, we would like to thank Milagros Miceli and the Weisenbaum team that hosted the event, provided lovely meals, and ensured the breaks were always pleasantly assorted with coffee, tea, and biscuits. This was also an opportunity to meet researcher communities and create bonds beyond geographical boundaries. A feeling of emulation lingers after the conference that leaves us, as organizers of the conference, incredibly satisfied, and eager to organize the next one, which will leave European shores. To all the participants, thank you, and we hope to meet again very soon.
You can watch the recorded streaming of the talks in the main Events Room over three days at the Weizenbaum Institute Youtube channel.INDL6 Day 1 (Oct. 9, 2023) ft. keynote speaker Kylie Jarrett (Maynooth University, Ireland) – “Creation, commodification, and class in the platform economy: the labour of assetised workers”INDL6 Day 2 (Oct. 10, 2023) ft. keynote speaker Jack Linchuan Qiu (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) – “Labor-Capital Relationships in the Softbank Empire: Lessons Learned”INDL6 Day 3 (Oct. 11, 2023) ft. keynote speaker Aida Ponce del Castillo (ETUI, Belgium) Algorithmic management and worker rights: what scenario for what policy option?