Technologies and Community Care: An Intersectional Analysis

In recent decades, the digital transformation has increasingly influenced structures and practices in community social services in Spain and other European countries. The progressive integration of telecare systems, home automation, mobile applications, and digital tools into the community sphere has enabled the optimisation of certain interventions, but it has also generated ethical dilemmas and new forms of inequality. This article examines how technologies are incorporated into community social services and home care practices in Spain within a context marked by gender, class, and age inequalities. Drawing on qualitative research involving thirty-two interviews with care recipients, carers, and representatives of social organisations, we analyse the socio-technological networks that mediate care, their impact on self-determination, and the limits and resistance to digitalisation. Our findings indicate that, within the community sphere, technologies can only contribute effectively to greater well-being when they are integrated into an ethical framework that prioritises human accompaniment, social co-responsibility, and the recognition of care as a right. We further discuss the tensions faced by cooperative and community organisations in providing sustained inclusive and dignified services within a precarious socio-economic context that highlights shared responsibility. Finally, we offer reflections on technological innovation, advocating for interdisciplinary collaboration that strengthens community networks and advances social justice.