I. Gershon, Down and Out in the New Economy: How People Find (or Don't Find) Work Today; A.J. Ravenelle, Hustle and Gig: Struggling and Surviving in the Sharing Economy, Oakland; A. Rosenblat, Uberland: How Algorithms are Rewriting the Rules of Work, Oakland

Johannes Lenhard

doi:10.1177/0308275x20977631

Abstract

A number of recent monographs have been focused on how work is organized and experienced today in the new economy, enabled through digital communication via apps and smartphones. Work by Ravenelle, Rosenblat and Gershon portrays both blue collar and white-collar labour, often as part of the so-called gig economy. With their ethnographic focus, the volumes complement the widespread media critique of Uber, AirBnB and Co. with a large variety of detailed accounts grounding the analysis and the (positive) change it could drive in a much more solid basis. Following their trail further and deeper into the world of new work seems like more than a worthwhile undertaking for our discipline.

Highlights

Reviewed by: Johannes Lenhard, Max Planck Cambridge Centre for Ethics, Economy and Social Change, University of Cambridge, UK
These are the conditions – even prior to the additional threat posed by Covid – that a number of recent monographs vividly explore
The language used by gig economy companies is deliberately designed to forge what is often called ‘tech exceptionalism’: Deliveroo jackets are not work wear, they are ‘branded clothing’; contracts are ‘supplier agreements’; and shifts are never scheduled, drivers just ‘indicate availability’ (Rosenblat, p. 159)

Summary

Introduction

Reviewed by: Johannes Lenhard, Max Planck Cambridge Centre for Ethics, Economy and Social Change, University of Cambridge, UK. They portray both blue-collar (Ravenelle, Rosenblat) and white-collar office (Gershon) workers, often as part of the so-called gig economy.2 In Uberland, Alex Rosenblat digs deep into the practices of the most widely used ride-hailing app, Uber.

Results

Conclusion