Rafael Grohmann

Biography
Assistant Professor of Media Studies with focus on Critical Platform and Data Studies at University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), with a graduate cross-appointment at the Faculty of Information (iSchool). Leader of DigiLabour Initiative. Researcher of Fairwork project. Editorial Board Member of Big Data & Society and Work, Employment and Society journals. Member of Scholars Council, Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2), UCLA. Founding Board Member of Labor Tech Research Network. His research interests include platform cooperativism and worker-owned platforms, work & AI, workers' organization, platform labour, communication/media and work. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of São Paulo.
Education
Ph.D. Communication, University of São Paulo, Brazil (2016)
M.Sc. Communication, University of São Paulo, Brazil (2012)
BA, Social Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil (2009)
Affiliations
Faculty of Information (iSchool)
Teaching Interests
Platform Labour; Critical Data Studies; Platform Economy; Media Studies in Latin America; Data and Artificial Intelligence
Research Interests
Platform Labour; Platform Cooperativism; Work, Data and Artificial Intelligence; Media Workers; Workers' Organization
Awards and Grants
Emerging Leadership Award. Awarded by the Brazilian Association of Researchers in Communication and Media, Intercom.
Publications
Grohmann, R., Pereira, G., Guerra, A., Abilio, L., Moreschi, B. & Jurno, A. (2022). Platform scams: Brazilian workers’ experiences of dishonest and uncertain algorithmic management. New Media & Society, 24 (7).
Journal Article
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F14614448221099225
Grohmann, R. (2021). Rider Platforms?: Building Worker-Owned Experiences in Spain, France, and Brazil. South Atlantic Quarterly. 120 (4): 839–852.
Journal Article
https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-9443392
Grohmann, R. & Araújo, W. (2021). Beyond Mechanical Turk: The Work of Brazilians on Global AI Platforms. In: Verdegem, P. (ed.). AI for Everyone? Critical Perspectives. London: University of Westminster Press.
Book Chapter
https://doi.org/10.16997/book55.n
Grohmann, R. (2022). Beyond platform cooperativism: worker-owned platforms in Brazil. Interactions, 29 (4).
Article
https://doi.org/10.1145/3540251
Public Engagement
Rafael Grohmann and Paris Marx
Gig Work is Not a Novelty in Brazil w/ Rafael Grohmann’. Oct 12, 2021.
Podcast
Oct 12, 2021
Tech Won't Save Us Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gig-work-is-not-a-novelty-in-brazil-w-rafael-grohmann/id1507621076?i=1000538308933
Rafael Grohmann and Mohan Dutta
"Like A Tinder For Academic Publications" - Open Data Access in Brazil
Podcast
April, 2022
Interventions from the Global South Podcast - International Communication Association (ICA) -
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-tinder-for-academic-publications-open-data/id1608984569?i=1000558402851
Paola Ricaurte and Rafael Grohmann
Data sovereignty and alternative development models
Op-ed
October, 2021
BotPopuli
https://botpopuli.net/data-sovereignty-and-alternative-development-models
Projects
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Rafael Grohmann - Co-PI - Fairwork Brazil. All collaborators are listed here: https://fair.work/en/fw/about/people/ |
Professional Practice
![]() Rafael Grohmann |
![]() Rafael Grohmann |
![]() Rafael Grohmann, Kelle Howson, Claudia Nociolini Rebechi, Julice Salvagni, Marcos Aragão, Roseli Figaro, Rodrigo Carelli, Victória da Silva, Ludmila Costhek Abílio, Ana Flávia Marques, Camilla Voigt Battistela, Jacqueline Gameleira, Helena Farias, Mark Graham and Tatiana López Ayala |