Discurso y trabajo de la economía colaborativa. El caso de Blablacar

Abstract

The growing importance of the field of the collaborative economy is associated with the growth of the technological platforms that develop their business model in this sector. These companies occupy a central position in this space and accumulate more and more power to define the space of possibilities of the practices that fit in the collaborative economy. Of all of them, the European company Blablacar seems to occupy a privileged place in this sector. His position is reinforced by a discourse steeped in collaborative rhetoric. This factor, the speech, is a hallmark of these companies. Its objective is to try to frame the business model in a different space from that of more conventional capitalism. However, our analysis of this discourse allows us to identify philosophical and ideological assumptions far removed from altruistic values. On the contrary, it induces a series of surveillance tasks between users to be carried out. Second, the analysis by means of virtual ethnography of its reputation systems allows us to point out the importance of the hidden work on which the sector is sustained. The different dimensions of this hidden work are analyzed. Finally, it is suggested the need, if rigor is to be preserved, to stop using any reference to the term collaborative in the analyzes of this platform or of others based on similar conditions.