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    The politics of algorithmic rank systems in the Brazilian erotic webcam industry


    Pereira Caminhas, Lorena Rubia (2023) The politics of algorithmic rank systems in the Brazilian erotic webcam industry. Porn Studies, 10 (2). pp. 174-190. ISSN 2326-8743

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    Abstract

    This article examines the structuring of algorithmic rank systems in the Brazilian webcam industry. The article questions the criteria behind those automated systems and their impacts on the working conditions of performers. The research comprises a four-year digital ethnography (from 2016 to 2020) of Brazil’s two major webcamming platforms, Camera Hot and Camera Prive. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted with cisgender women performers. The results reveal that rankings rely on axes of difference, centrally gender, race and age, foregrounding young white cisgender women. The unequal distribution of visibility affects the work conditions of the performers who do not fit platforms’ patterns, pressing them to negotiate with ranking criteria to succeed on camming. As the Brazilian camming business promotes the homogenization of services and prices, ranking stratifications hamper performers’ opportunities to engage and thrive on platforms. The research argues that inequalities imposed by rankings are already seen in the Brazilian sex trades.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Adult webcam industry; rank systems; algorithms; axes of difference;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > School of English, Media & Theatre Studies > Media Studies
    Item ID: 19627
    Identification Number: 10.1080/23268743.2022.2083661
    Depositing User: Lorena Rubia Pereira Caminhas
    Date Deposited: 01 Apr 2025 10:54
    Journal or Publication Title: Porn Studies
    Publisher: Routledge
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19627
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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