The Ideological Perversion of Technological Progress: A Philosophical Reflection on Informal Employment

Abstract

This paper examines the ideological distortion brought about by technological progress, focusing on its impact on informal employment through the lens of Slavoj Žižek’s theory of perversion. As digital platforms like Upwork and Fiverr grow, providing flexible jobs for millions of freelancers, the number of informal workers has increased worldwide. While such platforms claim to provide flexibility and autonomy, informal workers confront significant challenges, including low wages, lack of social security, and job instability. This study explores how technological progress, under the guise of legitimacy and rationality, reshapes society's perception of remote outsourced work, using Žižek’s framework to uncover the hidden mechanisms of exploitation and control. Moreover, the analysis reveals that, although platforms promote innovation and efficiency, they strengthen workers’dependency through algorithmic surveillance, exacerbating exploitation. Furthermore, the paper calls for a critical reassessment of the societal and economic impacts of technological advancements on informal workers and advocates for improved working conditions and stronger social protections.