Media Strategies of Labor Platforms: Circulation of Meanings in Social Media of Companies in Brazil

Abstract

This article aims to analyze how ride-hailing and delivery platforms in Brazil produce their ethos on social media in the context of the first national strike of workers in the pandemic. We argue, based on the notion of circulation of meanings, how the construction of the platform’s ethos is a sign element of class struggles, and a dimension of the role of communication in the platformization of labor. We conducted a content analysis on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) from two delivery (iFood and Rappi) and two ride-hailing platforms (Uber and 99), the largest of the country. The categories are: “pandemic and health” (contextual dimension in relation to the pandemic); “citizenship and diversity” (recurrent dimension in the discourse of platforms, in line with the literature in the area), “relations with brands and influencers” (visibility labor of the platforms with specific stakeholders) and “workers’ representations” (as a central element of the sign dimension of the class struggles). In general, the platforms’ media strategies, focused on consumers, present meanings of charity, philanthropy, citizenship and diversity, stating they are open to the demands of workers. The workers’ demands are reframed from the perspective of sacrificial citizenship, self-help, entrepreneurship and resilience. The results show how the platforms’ media strategies on social media play a central role in class contradictions.