This past October, I had the immense honor of delivering a keynote address at the seventh International Network on Digital Labor (INDL-7) conference in Santiago, Chile. It felt deeply personal to be part of a historic moment—the first INDL gathering in Latin America. ThActivists, scholars, and practitioners participated in this three-day conference to discuss this year’s theme: Digital Labor and Power Dynamics. More than 150 speakers contributed to 25 panels, 13 poster presentations, and 6 plenary sessions. Together, we unpacked critical topics like unpaid labor on social media, platform-mediated work, and the impacts of AI on labor.
My Keynote: South American Perspectives on Technological Utopias
In my keynote, I wanted to highlight something that often goes unnoticed in conversations about digital labor led by scholars in the global North: the profound contributions of South American perspectives to the development of studies about work and technologies. These perspectives, rooted in the history of workers’ movements in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, in the deep community ties and collective resilience of indigenous populations, in the formation of subjectivities informed by the colonial past, offer an invaluable lens for reimagining technological and labor utopias. Rather than seeing users solely as passive consumers or workers, these views recognize the interconnectedness of people, culture, and labor. It’s a reminder that platforms and AI systems should not be tools for exploitation—they can and should be instruments for collective empowerment.
Latin America’s rich history of informal labor added another layer of depth to the discussions. The region’s experience offers powerful lessons on how platform economies often replicate—but can also challenge—historical inequalities. While it’s true that digital platforms have exacerbated precarious working conditions, I was equally inspired by the stories of grassroots movements fighting back with creativity and adaptability.
INDL-7 was a community coming together. I am incredibly grateful, among others, to Antonio Stecher, Alan Valenzuela, Magdalena Moreno, Andy Marrero Vega, and DiPLab’s Diego Rivera for their tireless work in organizing this event. It was a pleasure to work with them, and I look forward to the formation and consolidation of a new INDL-LatAm (INDL Latin America) chapter in the foreseeable future. I felt humbled by their passion and dedication.
Looking ahead, I’m thrilled to share that the next INDL conference will be hosted by the University of Bologna, Italy, from September 10 to 12, 2025. To everyone who participated, thank you for your insights and passion. Let’s keep building on this momentum, and I hope to see many of you in Bologna next year!