Together with my fellow researcher Claudio Minca (from the University of Bologna, Italy) I have delivered a seminar at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya – where I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher.
We presented our work on processes of datafication in the platform economies of tourism, and the talk was inspired by our Open-Access paper “Becoming Airbnbeings: On datafication and the quantified Self in tourism”, which was published in Tourism Geographies and available here: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2019.1686767
One of the key objectives of the study was to understand the practices and politics of datafication in Airbnb. We wanted to investigate how elements of everyday life were rendered into data and incorporated into Airbnb’s machinery. Also, we wished to look at how Airbnb-bodies and everyday life were put on display on the platform, and how such processes were shaping specific agendas and evidenced power struggles. The study and presentation highlighted some of the main ideologies underpinning these practices and politics of datafication, and showed how users of the platform understand, experience and respond to such practices.
The seminar was followed by a lively discussion. We were delighted with the attendance of an engaging audience and look forward to continue contributing to the Faculty’s research agenda.