Each year a small portion of AoIR conference fees go toward several Kelly Quinn Travel Scholarships for junior scholars to attend the conference. We want to recognize our scholarship recipients and share with you a little bit about them and their research interests.
Who are you?
My name is Walmir Estima (@walmirestima@mastodon.social). I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Law, with a specialisation in International Relations, a Master’s degree in Communication and Contemporary Culture, and I am currently a PhD student in the same programme — the Graduate Programme in Communication and Contemporary Culture at the Federal University of Bahia.
My journey from the Faculty of Law to research in Communication and Digital Culture began with my interest in international politics. When I recognised the impact digital platforms were having on the political and geopolitical landscape, I decided to dedicate myself to understanding this better. It was then that I encountered the work of Professor André Lemos in Digital Culture research at UFBA, and I was fortunate enough to be welcomed by him into this institution.
I also work as a civil servant at the Regional Electoral Court of Bahia — prior to this, I worked at the Regional Labour Court of Pernambuco. I transferred between these institutions to make my doctoral studies possible.
Where are you from?
I am originally from Recife, Pernambuco, in the northeast of Brazil. Today, I reside in Salvador, Bahia.
What is your current area of study?
My research focus is on Communication and Digital Culture, with a particular interest in studying the impact of digital platforms on society — I consider myself a scholar of the political economy of platforms and digital media. I approach this primarily through the application of neomaterialist ontoepistemology, considering the agency of digital objects in shaping power relations in contemporary times.
Describe the research you will present at AoIR2024.
The research I will be presenting at AOIR, titled “Autonomy under Surveillance: A Failed Platform Cooperativism Experience in Brazil,” explores the case of platform workers (gig workers) who attempted to establish a platform cooperative, an endeavour that ultimately failed. My study investigates this failure by examining the processes of platform datafication, which, in turn, highlights the agency of infrastructural platforms in contributing to the negative outcome.
The original title of the dissertation that this research has informed was, in fact, changed to “Disciplined Autonomy,” as it addresses surveillance as a means of exercising disciplinary power imposed by the structures of GAFAM. The main findings demonstrate the local agency of structures that have the capacity to discipline resistance movements, thereby enforcing the continued dominance of international platforms backed by venture capital.
Have you presented at AoIR in the past? If so, what was your experience? If #AoIR2024 in Sheffield is your first AoIR conference, what made you choose this conference? What do you expect from it?
This is my first international conference outside Latin America. I have previously participated in conferences in Brazil and Argentina organised by ALAIC (Latin American Association of Communication Researchers). Attending AOIR was a plan devised by my PhD supervisor, Professor André Lemos. He submitted our work and later asked if I could participate as a speaker—thanks to the Kelly Quinn Scholarship, this opportunity became possible.
Through my participation in AoIR, I aim to present our research to an international audience, connect with researchers from around the world, and build networks that may help me pursue my goal of an international academic career.
