Digital slavery and the humanist regression to the 19th century, driven by technology

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of “digital slavery” and the potential regression of humanist guarantees in contemporary labor relations, drawing a comparative parallel with 19th-century labor conditions. The primary objective is to investigate how the unrestrained use of technology and algorithmic management have promoted labor precariousness, the invisibility of the employment bond, and the erosion of worker dignity. Through a critical-analytical approach and bibliographic methodology, the study discusses the transition from the Fordist model to the platform system (gig economy), highlighting the intensification of working hours and constant surveillance as mechanisms of subjection. It concludes that, without an ethical and legal re-intervention that reaffirms the social value of work, technology acts as a vector of civilizational involution, demanding the reconstruction of social protection paradigms to prevent the recurrence of archaic forms of exploitation under a technological guise.