Ressignificações da liberdade individual no mundo do trabalho mediado por plataformas: elucidações a partir de narrativas de trabalhadores freelancers

Abstract

In this research, we analyze the lived experiences of individual freedom in work mediated by freelance platforms, based on workers' narratives, in contrast to the senses of maximizing autonomy, spontaneity, and competitiveness inherent in the discourses of the platforms explored. To this end, we employ a theoretical and critical approach, considering the transformations in the world of work from the perspective of Friedrich Hayek's work, with emphasis on his discussions about work and individual freedom. This research adopts a qualitative methodological approach, articulated with Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA), through fieldwork involving nine in-depth semi-structured interviews with freelancers who have worked or are currently working on the following platforms in the last five years: Profes, VintePila, Superprof, Freelaweb.com.br, and 99Freelas. When we consider “individual freedom” as a sociological problem linked to labor relations and social practices underlying the platformization of work, we can access narratives that reveal the specificities, ambivalences, and details of the emerging issues.