Young Workers on Digital Labor Platforms: Uncovering the Double Autonomy Paradox
Drawing on interviews with 12 young adults in the Danish digital labor market, this article investigates how young workers on digital labor platforms experience the tension between ‘algorithmic management’ and autonomy. Digital labor platforms promise autonomy to workers, but the study shows that th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Aalborg University
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/127867 |
| _version_ | 1818883879914700800 |
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| author | Cæcilie Sloth Laursen Mette Lykke Nielsen Johnny Dyreborg |
| author_facet | Cæcilie Sloth Laursen Mette Lykke Nielsen Johnny Dyreborg |
| author_sort | Cæcilie Sloth Laursen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drawing on interviews with 12 young adults in the Danish digital labor market, this article investigates how young workers on digital labor platforms experience the tension between ‘algorithmic management’ and autonomy. Digital labor platforms promise autonomy to workers, but the study shows that the platforms in varying degrees exert control over the labor process in different stages of the work. The inherent non-transparency of the algorithmic management systems makes it difficult for the young workers to understand the underlying mechanisms of the platforms. While the young workers’ autonomy in some important ways is restricted by the algorithmic management systems, the young workers have all chosen the platform work because they feel that it allows them to control where and when they work. We propose the conceptualization ‘the double autonomy paradox of young workers’ to describe this phenomenon. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T15:40:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bd992d782ca84c34bae81783d55ee97d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2245-0157 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T15:40:40Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Aalborg University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-bd992d782ca84c34bae81783d55ee97d2022-12-21T20:15:29ZengAalborg UniversityNordic Journal of Working Life Studies2245-01572021-07-0110.18291/njwls.127867Young Workers on Digital Labor Platforms: Uncovering the Double Autonomy ParadoxCæcilie Sloth Laursen0Mette Lykke Nielsen1Johnny Dyreborg2IT University of CopenhagenAalborg UniversityNational Research Centre for the Working EnvironmentDrawing on interviews with 12 young adults in the Danish digital labor market, this article investigates how young workers on digital labor platforms experience the tension between ‘algorithmic management’ and autonomy. Digital labor platforms promise autonomy to workers, but the study shows that the platforms in varying degrees exert control over the labor process in different stages of the work. The inherent non-transparency of the algorithmic management systems makes it difficult for the young workers to understand the underlying mechanisms of the platforms. While the young workers’ autonomy in some important ways is restricted by the algorithmic management systems, the young workers have all chosen the platform work because they feel that it allows them to control where and when they work. We propose the conceptualization ‘the double autonomy paradox of young workers’ to describe this phenomenon.https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/127867Health, Working Environment & WellbeingWork/Life BalanceGender, Ethnicity, Age and DiversityOrganization & Management |
| spellingShingle | Cæcilie Sloth Laursen Mette Lykke Nielsen Johnny Dyreborg Young Workers on Digital Labor Platforms: Uncovering the Double Autonomy Paradox Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies Health, Working Environment & Wellbeing Work/Life Balance Gender, Ethnicity, Age and Diversity Organization & Management |
| title | Young Workers on Digital Labor Platforms: Uncovering the Double Autonomy Paradox |
| title_full | Young Workers on Digital Labor Platforms: Uncovering the Double Autonomy Paradox |
| title_fullStr | Young Workers on Digital Labor Platforms: Uncovering the Double Autonomy Paradox |
| title_full_unstemmed | Young Workers on Digital Labor Platforms: Uncovering the Double Autonomy Paradox |
| title_short | Young Workers on Digital Labor Platforms: Uncovering the Double Autonomy Paradox |
| title_sort | young workers on digital labor platforms uncovering the double autonomy paradox |
| topic | Health, Working Environment & Wellbeing Work/Life Balance Gender, Ethnicity, Age and Diversity Organization & Management |
| url | https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/127867 |
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