Navigating the Sociotechnical Imaginaries of Brazilian Tech Workers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Seto, Kenzo Soares
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Seto, Kenzo Soares
author_facet Seto, Kenzo Soares
contents This chapter examines the sociotechnical imaginaries of Brazilian tech workers, a group often overlooked in digital labor research despite their role in designing the digital systems that shape everyday life. Grounded in the idea of sociotechnical imaginaries as collectively constructed visions that guide technology development and governance, the chapter argues that looking from the Global South helps challenge data universalism and foregrounds locally situated values, constraints, and futures. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 26 Brazilian professionals conducted between July and December 2023, it maps how workers make sense of responsibility, bias, and power in AI and platform development. The findings highlight recurring tensions between academic and industry discourse on algorithmic bias, the limits of corporate accountability regarding user harm and surveillance, and the contested meanings of digital sovereignty, including grassroots initiatives that seek alternative technological futures aligned with marginalized communities needs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_05961
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Navigating the Sociotechnical Imaginaries of Brazilian Tech Workers
Seto, Kenzo Soares
Computers and Society
This chapter examines the sociotechnical imaginaries of Brazilian tech workers, a group often overlooked in digital labor research despite their role in designing the digital systems that shape everyday life. Grounded in the idea of sociotechnical imaginaries as collectively constructed visions that guide technology development and governance, the chapter argues that looking from the Global South helps challenge data universalism and foregrounds locally situated values, constraints, and futures. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 26 Brazilian professionals conducted between July and December 2023, it maps how workers make sense of responsibility, bias, and power in AI and platform development. The findings highlight recurring tensions between academic and industry discourse on algorithmic bias, the limits of corporate accountability regarding user harm and surveillance, and the contested meanings of digital sovereignty, including grassroots initiatives that seek alternative technological futures aligned with marginalized communities needs.
title Navigating the Sociotechnical Imaginaries of Brazilian Tech Workers
topic Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.05961