Collective Action Amidst Relational Poverty:

Dynamics and Potentials of Digital Spaces of Organization in the World of Precarious Work

Abstract

Categories such as outsourced cleaning, surveillance, and cafeteria workers are characterized by a high degree of fragmentation into small job positions, on the one hand, and high employee turnover, on the other — elements that have often been identified as obstacles to the consolidation of strong "associative power" for these categories. How does the diffusion of new communication technologies impact the prospects for collective action and organization among these workers? Through an examination of nine distinct cases of small-scale collective action, studied through in-depth interviews with their protagonists, we have identified that the "closed" architecture of WhatsApp has made this platform central in driving these mobilizations. The primary consequence of using this platform has been the consolidation and combination of the "weak ties" networks among these workers, enabling connections between physically and functionally isolated job positions. We will also discuss the significant variability in how workers form these digital groups in times of crisis and conflict (based on the networks and institutional actors involved at each workplace), as well as the transformations in the ways these digital groups have been utilized following the conclusion of these mobilizations.