Über-Alienated: Powerless and Alone in the Gig Economy
Open accessAbstract
While the gig economy has expanded rapidly in the last decade, few have studied the psychological ramifications of working for an online labor platform. Guided by classical and modern theories of work and alienation, we investigate whether engagement in platform work is associated with an increased sense of powerlessness and isolation. We analyze data from two national surveys of workers from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study in September 2019 ( N = 2,460) and March 2020 ( N = 2,469). Analyses reveal greater levels of powerlessness and loneliness among platform workers—a pattern that is not fully explained by their higher levels of financial strain. Additional analyses of platform activity reveal that rideshare driving is more strongly associated with powerlessness and isolation than engagement in online crowdwork. We interpret our findings in light of platform firms’ use of algorithmic control and distancing strategies that may undermine worker autonomy and social connection.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Ridesharing drivers had higher levels of powerlessness and isolation perceptions than gig workers working online.
“With two national surveys, Glavin et al. (2021) found that ridesharing drivers had higher levels of powerlessness and isolation perceptions than gig workers working online.”
From Gig work and gig workers: An integrative review and agenda for future research (2024) · cites this paper as Glavin et al. (2021)
Cites
(1993) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/0002-8223(93)91697-o · Cited by 18,452 · see citing works
The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations
Orlikowski, W. J. (1992) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.3.3.398 · Cited by 4,957 · see citing works
A Short Scale for Measuring Loneliness in Large Surveys: Results From Two Population-Based Studies
Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/0164027504268574 · Cited by 4,781 · see citing works
Good Gig, Bad Gig: Autonomy and Algorithmic Control in the Global Gig Economy
Wood, A. J., Graham, M., Lehdonvirta, V., & Hjorth, I. (2019) · Work, Employment and Society · doi:10.1177/0950017018785616 · Cited by 2,209 · see citing works
Seeman, M. S. (1959) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2088565 · Cited by 1,957 · see citing works
Contested Terrain: The Transformation of the Workplace in the Twentieth Century
Nielsen, R. P., & Edwards, R. (1980) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.2307/257476 · Cited by 1,853 · see citing works
What Do Platforms Do? Understanding the Gig Economy
Vallas, S., & Schor, J. B. (2020) · Annual Review of Sociology · doi:10.1146/annurev-soc-121919-054857 · Cited by 1,354 · cited 5× · see citing works
“This distancing ensures the primacy of the platform’s position as intermediary (Vallas & Schor, 2020), much in the same way that temporary staffing 406 Work and Occupations 48(4) agencies seek to prevent clients from directly hiring temporary workers (Elcioglu, 2010).”
BackgroundInfluentialEmployment and unemployment: a social-psychological analysis
Furnham, A. F. (1983) · Journal of Economic Psychology · doi:10.1016/0167-4870(83)90032-6 · Cited by 1,248 · see citing works
STEFANO, V. D. (2015) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2682602 · Cited by 1,136 · see citing works
Employment and Unemployment: A Social-Psychological Analysis
Jahoda, M. (1982) · Cited by 1,101 · see citing works
(2019) · Cited by 1,082 · see citing works
Social relationships and health: The toxic effects of perceived social isolation
Cacioppo, J. T., & Cacioppo, S. (2014) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/spc3.12087 · Cited by 1,057 · see citing works
Social causes of psychological distress
Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (1990) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.27-4163 · Cited by 1,043 · see citing works
Algorithmic Labor and Information Asymmetries: A Case Study of Uber’s Drivers
(2016) · International journal of communication · Cited by 990 · see citing works
Labour process theory and the gig economy
Gandini, A. (2019) · Human Relations · doi:10.1177/0018726718790002 · Cited by 946 · see citing works
Work and Personality: An Inquiry into the Impact of Social Stratification.
House, J. S., Kohn, M. L., Schooler, C., Miller, J. M., Miller, K. A. J., & Schoenbach, R. (1986) · Social Forces · doi:10.2307/2578800 · Cited by 938 · see citing works
Fast Food, Fast Talk: Service Work and the Routinization of Everyday Life.
Duffy, A. D., & Leidner, R. (1994) · Social Forces · doi:10.2307/2579956 · Cited by 875 · see citing works
Burawoy, M. (1982) · University of Chicago Press eBooks · doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226217710.001.0001 · Cited by 832 · see citing works
‘An assembly line in the head’: work and employee relations in the call centre
Taylor, P., & Bain, P. (1999) · Industrial Relations Journal · doi:10.1111/1468-2338.00113 · Cited by 801 · see citing works
Petriglieri, G., Ashford, S. J., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2019) · Administrative Science Quarterly · doi:10.1177/0001839218759646 · Cited by 744 · see citing works
(2016) · MIT Press Books · Cited by 731 · see citing works
Hawkley, L. C., Thisted, R. A., Masi, C. M., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/a0017805 · Cited by 726 · see citing works
Toward a neurology of loneliness
Cacioppo, S., Capitanio, J. P., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2014) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0037618 · Cited by 623 · see citing works
Powerlessness and the Amplification of Threat: Neighborhood Disadvantage, Disorder, and Mistrust
Ross, C. E., Mirowsky, J., & Pribesh, S. L. (2001) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/3088923 · Cited by 603 · see citing works
Dependence and precarity in the platform economy
Schor, J. B., Attwood-Charles, W., Cansoy, M., Ladegaard, I., & Wengronowitz, R. (2020) · Theory and Society · doi:10.1007/s11186-020-09408-y · Cited by 550 · cited 4× · see citing works
“Given that workers pursue platform work for a range of reasons (Schor et al., 2020), there may be worker variation in the extent that they are able to resist challenges to their autonomy.”
BackgroundInfluentialPerspective—Professional Work: The Emergence of Collaborative Community
Adler, P. S., Kwon, S., & Heckscher, C. C. (2007) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.1070.0293 · Cited by 485 · see citing works
Precarious Lives: Job Insecurity and Well-being in Rich Democracies
Gialis, S. E. (2019) · Economic Geography · doi:10.1080/00130095.2019.1665464 · Cited by 480 · see citing works
No Employee an Island: Workplace Loneliness and Job Performance
Özçelik, H., & Barsade, S. G. (2018) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2015.1066 · Cited by 451 · see citing works
Algorithmic Control in Platform Food Delivery Work
Griesbach, K., Reich, A., Elliott-Negri, L., & Milkman, R. (2019) · Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World · doi:10.1177/2378023119870041 · Cited by 443 · see citing works
Newlands, G. (2021) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840620937900 · Cited by 439 · see citing works
Anwar, M. A., & Graham, M. (2021) · Competition & Change · doi:10.1177/1024529420914473 · Cited by 429 · see citing works
In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power
Zuboff, S. (1989) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.2307/2073307 · Cited by 410 · see citing works
Pearlin, L. (1999) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/0-387-36223-1_19 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Between autonomy and control: Strategies of arbitrage in the “on-demand” economy
Shapiro, A. (2018) · New Media & Society · doi:10.1177/1461444817738236 · Cited by 374 · see citing works
Cross-National Differences in Older Adult Loneliness
Fokkema, T., Gierveld, J. D. J., & Dykstra, P. A. (2011) · The Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00223980.2011.631612 · Cited by 372 · see citing works
“Is your gig any good?” Analysing job quality in the Australian platform-based food-delivery sector
Goods, C., Veen, A., & Barratt, T. (2019) · Journal of Industrial Relations · doi:10.1177/0022185618817069 · Cited by 365 · see citing works
Evaluative infrastructures: Accounting for platform organization
Kornberger, M., Pflueger, D., & Mouritsen, J. (2017) · Accounting Organizations and Society · doi:10.1016/j.aos.2017.05.002 · Cited by 349 · cited 1× · see citing works
“All of these are integrated as part of an algorithmic control system that allows power to remain centralized even with a spatially distributed workforce (Kornberger et al., 2017).”
BackgroundBucher, E. L., Schou, P. K., & Waldkirch, M. (2021) · Organization · doi:10.1177/1350508420961531 · Cited by 349 · see citing works
The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships
(2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316417867 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
Households, Employment, and the Sense of Control
Ross, C. E., & Mirowsky, J. (1992) · Social Psychology Quarterly · doi:10.2307/2786793 · Cited by 269 · see citing works
Hustle and Gig: Struggling and Surviving in the Sharing Economy
Ravenelle, A. J. (2019) · doi:10.2307/j.ctvcwp0kc · Cited by 226 · see citing works
Theory-based Data Analysis for the Social Sciences
Aneshensel, C. S. (2002) · Sage eBooks · doi:10.4135/9781412986342 · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Seeman, M. S. (1991) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-590241-0.50011-3 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
Alienation and its correlates: A meta-analysis
Chiaburu, D. S., Thundiyil, T. G., & Wang, J. (2013) · European Management Journal · doi:10.1016/j.emj.2013.06.003 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
Dignity in the Workplace Under Participative Management: Alienation and Freedom Revisited
Hodson, R. (1996) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2096450 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Rogers, J. K. (1995) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888495022002002 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Powerlessness and the Amplification of Threat: Neighborhood Disadvantage, Disorder, and Mistrust
Ross, C. E., Mirowsky, J., & Pribesh, S. L. (2001) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.1177/000312240106600405 · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Working Algorithms: Software Automation and the Future of Work
Shestakofsky, B. (2017) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888417726119 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Workers, Managers, and Customers
Lopez, S. H. (2010) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888410375683 · Cited by 165 · see citing works
Organizations and Powerlessness: A Test of the Mediation Hypothesis
Neal, A. G., & Seeman, M. S. (1964) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2092124 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Andrejevic, M. (2019) · Surveillance & Society · doi:10.24908/ss.v17i1/2.12930 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
How Knowledge is Power: Education and the Sense of Control
Schieman, S., & Plickert, G. (2008) · Social Forces · doi:10.1353/sof.0.0065 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Self-citationAlienation and Freedom: The Factory Worker and His Industry
Guest, R. H., & Blauner, R. (1965) · Technology and Culture · doi:10.2307/3101830 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Theory-Based Data Analysis for the Social Sciences
Aneshensel, C. S. (2013) · Sage eBooks · doi:10.4135/9781506335094 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Positives outweighing negatives: the experiences of Indian crowdsourced workers
D’Cruz, P., & Noronha, E. (2016) · Work Organisation Labour & Globalisation · doi:10.13169/workorgalaboglob.10.1.0044 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Replicability Crisis in Social Psychology: Looking at the Past to Find New Pathways for the Future
Świątkowski, W., & Dompnier, B. (2017) · International Review of Social Psychology · doi:10.5334/irsp.66 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Dependency and Hardship in the Gig Economy: The Mental Health Consequences of Platform Work
Glavin, P., & Schieman, S. (2022) · Socius Sociological Research for a Dynamic World · doi:10.1177/23780231221082414 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Algorithmic Panopticon at Deliveroo: measurement, precarity, and the illusion of control
Woodcock, J. (2020) · Open Research Online - ORO (The Open University) · Cited by 106 · see citing works
The Mystery Customer: Continuing Absences in the Sociology of Service Work
Korczynski, M. (2009) · Sociology · doi:10.1177/0038038509340725 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Hünefeld, L., Gerstenberg, S., & Hüffmeier, J. (2020) · Work & Stress · doi:10.1080/02678373.2019.1567619 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
The Taking Economy: Uber, Information, and Power
Calo, R., & Rosenblat, A. (2017) · Columbia Law Review · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Embedded in the Crowd: Creative Freelancers, Crowdsourced Work, and Occupational Community
Schwartz, D. (2018) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888418762263 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Morgan, G., & Nelligan, P. (2017) · Anthem Press eBooks · doi:10.2307/j.ctt1z27hwj · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Ross, C. E., & Sastry, J. G. (1999) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/0-387-36223-1_18 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Sallaz, J. J. (2014) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888414551207 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Alienation and Emancipation in the Work of Karl Marx
Comninel, G. C. (2018) · Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks · doi:10.1057/978-1-137-57534-0 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Employment Quality as a Health Determinant: Empirical Evidence for the Waged and Self-Employed
Gevaert, J., Aerden, K. V., Moortel, D. D., & Vanroelen, C. (2020) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888420946436 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
The Impact of Job Insecurity and Job Degradation on the Sense of Personal Control
Glavin, P. (2013) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888413481031 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Self-citationProducing Precarity: The Temporary Staffing Agency in the Labor Market
Elcioglu, E. F. (2010) · Qualitative Sociology · doi:10.1007/s11133-010-9149-x · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Measuring the gig economy in Canada using administrative data
Jeon, S., Liu, H., & Ostrovsky, Y. (2021) · Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d économique · doi:10.1111/caje.12558 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
The Creativity Hoax: Precarious Work in the Gig Economy
Morgan, G. A., & Nelligan, P. (2018) · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Microregulation and Post-Fordism: Critique and Development of Regulation Theory
Friedman, A. L. (2000) · New Political Economy · doi:10.1080/13563460050001989 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Uber and the making of an Algopticon - Insights from the daily life of Montreal drivers
Jamil, R. (2020) · Capital & Class · doi:10.1177/0309816820904031 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, No Jobs: The Transformation of Work in the 21st Century
Tanner, J., Duffy, A. D., Glenday, D., & Pupo, N. (1999) · The Canadian Journal of Sociology · doi:10.2307/3341735 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Unpacking the Service Triangle: Arranging Power Relations Between Frontline Occupations
Subramanian, D., & Suquet, J. (2017) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888417736095 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Investing in Independent Contract Work
Occhiuto, N. (2017) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888417697231 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Effect of Co-Driver on Job Content and Depression of Truck Drivers
Hatami, A., Vosoughi, S., Hosseini, A. F., & Ebrahimi, H. (2018) · Safety and Health at Work · doi:10.1016/j.shaw.2018.06.001 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Alienation and emotion: social relations and estrangement in contemporary capitalism
Burkitt, I. (2019) · Emotions and Society · doi:10.1332/263168919x15580836411841 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
In Control or Fatalistically Ruled? The Sense of Mastery among Working Canadians
Schieman, S., & Narisada, A. (2014) · Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue canadienne de sociologie · doi:10.1111/cars.12051 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationVermeerbergen, L., McDermott, A. M., & Benders, J. (2020) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888420930770 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Glavin, P., Filipovic, T., & van der Maas, M. (2019) · Sociological Forum · doi:10.1111/socf.12502 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationInanc, H. (2020) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/0730888420934539 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Fragmented Demands: Platform and Gig-Working in the UK
Howcroft, D., Dundon, T., & Inversi, C. (2019) · Work, organization, and employment · doi:10.1007/978-981-13-6613-0_11 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Cabs, community, and control: Mobile communication among Chicago’s taxi drivers
Williams, M. G. (2014) · Mobile Media & Communication · doi:10.1177/2050157914544804 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Schacht, R. (2012) · The International Encyclopedia of Ethics · doi:10.1002/9781444367072.wbiee395 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Transformations of Working Identities
Mendelson, D. (2015) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203869710.ch9 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
4 of the 90 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Bankins, S., Ocampo, A. C., Marrone, M., Restubog, S. L. D., & Woo, S. E. (2024) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.2735 · Cited by 799 · see citing works
Algorithmic management in the gig economy: A systematic review and research integration
Kadolkar, I., Kepes, S., & Subramony, M. V. (2024) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.2831 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Gig work and gig workers: An integrative review and agenda for future research
Wu, D., & Huang, J. L. (2024) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.2775 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Managing with Artificial Intelligence: An Integrative Framework
Hillebrand, L., Raisch, S., & Schad, J. (2025) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/annals.2022.0072 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Kim, B., & Lee, J. (2024) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04018-w · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Wu, X., Liu, Q., Qu, H., & Wang, J. (2022) · Tourism Management · doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104716 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
New ways of working (NWW): Workplace transformation in the digital age
Aroles, J., Ćećez-Kecmanović, D., Dale, K., Kingma, S. F., & Mitev, N. (2021) · Information and Organization · doi:10.1016/j.infoandorg.2021.100378 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Prime Suspect: Mechanisms of Labor Control at Amazon's Warehouses
Vallas, S. P., Johnston, H., & Mommadova, Y. (2022) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/07308884221106922 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Wang, S., Li, L., & Coutts, A. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066389 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
van Zoonen, W., Sivunen, A. E., & Treem, J. W. (2023) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2023.108089 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Work engagement of online car-hailing drivers: the effects of platforms' algorithmic management
Li, W., Lu, Y., Hu, P., & Gupta, S. (2023) · Information Technology and People · doi:10.1108/itp-02-2022-0122 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Granger, S., Barker Caza, B., Ashford, S. J., & Reid, E. M. (2022) · Journal of Vocational Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103784 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Adekoya, O. D., Mordi, C., Ajonbadi, H. A., & Chen, W. (2023) · Information Technology and People · doi:10.1108/itp-01-2023-0064 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Huang, H. (2023) · Journal of Contemporary Asia · doi:10.1080/00472336.2022.2155866 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Digital Battlegrounds: The Power Dynamics and Governance of Contemporary Platforms
Hunt, R., Townsend, D. M., Simpson, J., Nugent, R., Stallkamp, M., & Bozdag, E. (2024) · The Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/annals.2022.0188 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
What will mobile and virtual work look like in the future?—Results of a Delphi-based study
Kauffeld, S., Tartler, D., Gräfe, H., Windmann, A.-K., & Sauer, N. C. (2022) · Gruppe Interaktion Organisation Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO) · doi:10.1007/s11612-022-00627-8 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Necrocapitalism in the Gig Economy: The Case of Platform Food Couriers in Australia
Orr, W., Henne, K., Lee, A., Harb, J. I., & Alphonso, F. C. (2022) · Antipode · doi:10.1111/anti.12877 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Precarious Employment and Well-Being: Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Mai, Q. D., Song, L., & Donnelly, R. (2022) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/07308884221143063 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Gig worker’s perceived algorithmic management, stress appraisal, and destructive deviant behavior
Zhang, L., Yang, J., Zhang, Y., & Xu, G. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0294074 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Algorithmic human resource management: toward a functional affordance perspective
Gong, Q., Fan, D., & Bartram, T. (2024) · Personnel Review · doi:10.1108/pr-01-2024-0099 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Co-Designing Alternatives for the Future of Gig Worker Well-Being
Hsieh, J., Karger, M., Zagal, L., & Zhu, H. (2023) · Designing Interactive Systems Conference · doi:10.1145/3563657.3595982 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Popiel, P. (2022) · Policy & Internet · doi:10.1002/poi3.283 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Dark sides of algorithmic control in app-based gig work: An objectification perspective
Yang, Y., Chi, M., Bi, X., & Xu, Y. (2025) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115407 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Work in the platform economy: a systematic literature review
Masta, R., & Kaushiva, P. (2024) · Employee Relations · doi:10.1108/er-12-2023-0638 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
van Zoonen, W., Treem, J. W., & Sivunen, A. E. (2025) · European Management Journal · doi:10.1016/j.emj.2025.05.001 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Semujanga, B., & Parent‐Rocheleau, X. (2024) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph21010086 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Meaningful Work in the Digital Age- A Comprehensive Review and Framework
Arora, N., & Garg, N. (2024) · Human Resource Development International · doi:10.1080/13678868.2024.2336866 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Beyond the ‘Gig Economy’: Towards Variable Experiences of Job Quality in Platform Work
Wood, A. J., Martindale, N., & Burchell, B. J. (2025) · Work Employment and Society · doi:10.1177/09500170251336947 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Lu, Z., Wang, S., Ling, W., & Guo, Y. (2023) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116281 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Jianu, B., Ashton, M., & Lugosi, P. (2025) · International Journal of Hospitality Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104168 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Democratizing the Economy or Introducing Economic Risk? Gig Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Auguste, D., Roll, S., & Despard, M. (2023) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/07308884231202032 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Digital Labor, Platforms, and AI
Munn, L. (2024) · Introduction to Digital Humanism · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-45304-5_35 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Organised loneliness and its discontents
Sagan, O. (2023) · Diversity & Inclusion Research · doi:10.1002/dvr2.12008 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“It’s Not Like Chasing Chanel:” Spending Time, Investing in the Self, and Pandemic Epiphanies
Ravenelle, A. J., & Kowalski, K. C. (2022) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/07308884221125246 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Kincaid, R., & Reynolds, J. (2023) · Sociological Quarterly · doi:10.1080/00380253.2023.2268679 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Ali, K. T. M., & Sivasubramanian, R. C. (2024) · Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal · doi:10.1007/s10672-024-09505-5 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Hondros, K., Schiemer, B., & Vogelgsang, L. (2023) · Organization · doi:10.1177/13505084231168094 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Gig2Gether: Datasharing to Empower, Unify and Demystify Gig Work
Hsieh, J., Zhang, A., Surati, S., Xie, S., Ayala, Y., Sathiya, N., Kuo, T.-S., Lee, M. K., & Zhu, H. (2025) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3706598.3714398 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Theorizing Labor in the Platform Economy: Labor Restructuring in Historical Perspective
Faraoun, A. (2024) · Sociology Compass · doi:10.1111/soc4.70018 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Miszczyński, M., & Zanoni, P. (2025) · Work Employment and Society · doi:10.1177/09500170251336954 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Affolter, L., Spurk, D., & Straub, C. (2025) · Journal of Vocational Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2025.104175 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Taming the algorithm: The platform realism of GrabBike delivery workers
Nguyen-Thu, G., & Munn, L. (2024) · New Media & Society · doi:10.1177/14614448241262417 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Trust and power in Airbnb's digital rating and reputation system
Christiaens, T. (2025) · Ethics and Information Technology · doi:10.1007/s10676-025-09825-6 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“In Marxist literature, this problem appears under the rubric of ‘alienation’ (O’Regan & Choe, 2017; Glavin et al., 2021; Christiaens 2022b; Pasquinelli, 2023).”
Fana, M., & Villani, D. (2023) · European Journal of Industrial Relations · doi:10.1177/09596801231180399 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Diversity and emotional labor in the gig economy
Ajaiyeoba, I. O. (2024) · Equality Diversity and Inclusion An International Journal · doi:10.1108/edi-11-2023-0394 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Affolter, L., Straub, C., & Spurk, D. (2024) · Career Development International · doi:10.1108/cdi-09-2023-0305 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Mitigating work alienation: what can we learn from employee ownership?
Vafeas, M., Little, E., & Vafeas, A. (2024) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2024.2439258 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Matilla-Santander, N., Lundh, F., Kvart, S., Baron, S., Bodin, T., Gevaert, J., Håkansta, C., Hernando, J. C., Muntaner, C., & Kreshpaj, B. (2025) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-025-23916-5 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Assessing bias in online surveys using alternative survey modes
Spencer, N. H., Syrdal, D. S., Coates, M., & Huws, U. E. (2022) · Work Organisation Labour & Globalisation · doi:10.13169/workorgalaboglob.16.1.0034 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“Where is your fixed point?” Dealing with ambiguous freelance musician careers
Lundin, A. N. (2022) · Cultural Trends · doi:10.1080/09548963.2022.2075715 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Zheng, W. (2023) · Socio-Economic Review · doi:10.1093/ser/mwad008 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Ķešāne, I., & Spuriņa, M. (2024) · Social Inclusion · doi:10.17645/si.7696 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Precarious Employment in the Gig Economy: Understanding the Roles of Employed Poor
Pathiranage, H. S. K. (2024) · Open Journal of Business and Management · doi:10.4236/ojbm.2024.124117 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Alizadeh, A., Wiener, M. J., & Benlian, A. (2025) · European Journal of Information Systems · doi:10.1080/0960085x.2025.2576230 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
A life without a plan? Freelance musicians in pandemic limbo
Lundin, A. N. (2022) · Emotion, space and society · doi:10.1016/j.emospa.2022.100924 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Chi, M., Xu, Y., & Yang, Y. (2025) · Telematics and Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2025.102267 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Reynolds, J., & Kincaid, R. (2024) · Sociological Forum · doi:10.1111/socf.13029 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Race, Marginalization, and Perceptions of Stress Among Workers Worldwide Post‐2020
Dalessandro, C., & Lovell, A. (2022) · Sociological Inquiry · doi:10.1111/soin.12505 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Wang, G., Wu, Z., & Lu, C. (2025) · International Journal of Information Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102930 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
The Dual Effects of Team Contest Design on On-Demand Service Work Schedules
Dong, T., Sun, X., Luo, Q., Wang, J., & Yin, Y. (2023) · Service Science · doi:10.1287/serv.2023.0320 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Organizational perspectives on digital labor market intermediaries
McDonald, S., Damarin, A. K., & Membrez-Weiler, N. J. (2022) · Sociology Compass · doi:10.1111/soc4.13061 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Algorithmic management and intimate partner surveillance in gig work
Laeeque, S. H. (2025) · Journal of Enterprise Information Management · doi:10.1108/jeim-04-2025-0238 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Selling the self: Neo-normative control and the platform paradox
Cameron, L. D., Conzon, V. M., & Lam, L. (2025) · Research in Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.riob.2025.100230 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Understanding the viability conundrum in online crowdwork: The costs of unprecedented autonomy
van Zoonen, W., & Sivunen, A. E. (2024) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114912 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Gaillard, H., & Galière, S. (2024) · Organization · doi:10.1177/13505084241296821 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Ray, B., Verma, M., Gautam, N., & Kumar, M. (2025) · Social Responsibility Journal · doi:10.1108/srj-08-2023-0479 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Assessing Turnover Intentions of Algorithmically Managed Hospitality Workers
Pérez, M. S., Jianu, B., & Tussyadiah, I. P. (2023) · Springer proceedings in business and economics · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-25752-0_39 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
On-call work and depressive mood: A cross-sectional survey among rural migrant workers in China
Xu, Q., Wang, L., Zhang, Y., & Jiang, X. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1068663 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Workers and Their Foes: Customer Scapegoats in the Service Triad
Laemmli, T. (2023) · Socius Sociological Research for a Dynamic World · doi:10.1177/23780231231204845 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Archontic Machines: A Gnostic Optics of Power in the Media Culture of the Digital Age
Pozharov, A. I. (2026) · Философия и культура · doi:10.7256/2454-0757.2026.5.79538 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Masculine borders as alienation of racialized, undocumented south Asian migrant workers in Greece
Kukreja, R. (2023) · NORMA · doi:10.1080/18902138.2023.2260291 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Understanding experiences of adverse digital incorporation of ridesharing drivers in Bangladesh
Hazra, U. T., Priyo, A. K. K., & Sheikh, J. J. (2024) · Information Technology and People · doi:10.1108/itp-01-2024-0027 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Gupta, M., Bhattacharya, A., & Kientz, J. A. (2025) · Annual Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work (CHIWORK) · doi:10.1145/3729176.3729181 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Wu, R., & Lu, X. (2025) · Kybernetes · doi:10.1108/k-11-2024-3098 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Arora, M., Mittal, A., & Dhankar, N. (2025) · International journal of organizational analysis · doi:10.1108/ijoa-03-2025-5287 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Psychosocial risks and ethical implications of technology: considerations for decent work
Schulte, P. A., & Streit, J. M. K. (2025) · Annals of Work Exposures and Health · doi:10.1093/annweh/wxaf003 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Work Experience and Mental Health from Adolescence to Mid-Life
Staff, J., & Mortimer, J. T. (2024) · Social Forces · doi:10.1093/sf/soae067 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Safer Algorithmically-Mediated Offline Introductions: Harms and Protective Behaviors
Rivera, V. A., Wilkinson, D., Augusta, A., Li, S., Redmiles, E. M., & Strohmayer, A. (2024) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3686948 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Connecting the disconnected: Professional isolation and inclusion of independent workers
Maj, J., Hamza‐Orlinska, A., & Santistevan, D. (2025) · European Management Review · doi:10.1111/emre.70004 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Exploring factors influencing entry into the gig economy: A study of Chinese workers
Li, M., Hu, X., Jin, K., & Han, J. (2025) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105301 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Food warriors: app-based delivery on electric micromobilities
Travers, T., Park, K., Hall, P., Scott, N. A., & Kwan, G. C. E. (2025) · Mobilities · doi:10.1080/17450101.2025.2532399 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
VIEIRA, T. A., & Junte, S. (2025) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/07308884251398078 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Doellgast, V., O’Brady, S., & Kim, J. (2026) · Work Employment and Society · doi:10.1177/09500170251401491 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Short-term fit, long-term trap: The career development lock of low-skilled gig workers
zheng, X., Du, J., Xiang, Y., Long, L., & Xie, H. (2026) · Human Relations · doi:10.1177/00187267261415779 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Understanding the Technology-Mediated Home Phlebotomy Ecosystem in India
Gupta, M., Karnatak, N., & Jain, M. (2024) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3637421 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
McCartney, J. A., & Le, J. A. (2024) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2024.2361710 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Redefining Work: The Gig Economy’s Impact on Work and Life
Wheatley, M. C. (2024) · Premier journal of business and management. · doi:10.70389/pjbm.100005 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Theorizing autonomy in the platform economy: A study of food delivery gig workers in Latvia
Ķešāne, I., & Spuriņa, M. (2025) · Sociology Review · doi:10.1177/00380261251330475 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Navigating the Gig Economy: What Drives Malaysian Youth?
Hed, N. M., & Rosli, N. A. (2025) · Journal of Applied Youth Studies · doi:10.1007/s43151-025-00192-z · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Prosumo, alienación y explotación. Reflexiones en torno al trabajo digital.
del Horno, M. B. (2021) · Lan Harremanak Revista de Relaciones Laborales · doi:10.1387/lan-harremanak.22812 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Sagan, O., & Jones, D. W. (2024) · Journal of Psychosocial Studies · doi:10.1332/14786737y2024d000000014 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Raelin, J. A. (2024) · Human Resource Development Review · doi:10.1177/15344843241249772 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
The Right Amount of Sex: Digital Labor in the Grey Zone of Platform Governance
Mears, A., Birced, E., & Nguyen, T. (2025) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/07308884251374687 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Ray, B., Verma, M., Kumar, M., & Gautam, N. (2024) · South Asian Journal of Management · doi:10.62206/sajm.31.1.2024.29-59 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Precarity and Solidarity in Gig Work: The Dynamics of Platform-Mediated Cleaning in Norway
Valestrand, E. T. (2024) · Nordisk välfärdsforskning | Nordic Welfare Research · doi:10.18261/nwr.9.4.1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Alienation in the Algorithmic Labour of Search Engine Optimisation Specialists
Ivanova, M., Nachtwey, O., Thaa, H., & Hardering, F. (2025) · New Technology Work and Employment · doi:10.1111/ntwe.12341 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Bethge, E. (2025) · Work Employment and Society · doi:10.1177/09500170251343275 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Unfulfilled: Collaborative Robots and the Persistence of Tough Jobs in e-Commerce Warehousing
Kowalski, A. M. (2025) · Work and Occupations · doi:10.1177/07308884251400283 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Zhang, Z., Zhang, S., Liu, C., Zhang, H., & Liu, J. (2026) · Human Resource Management · doi:10.1002/hrm.70062 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Like shagging a dead fish”: misogyny and consent in online sex buyers’ reviews
Tranchese, A. (2024) · Feminist Media Studies · doi:10.1080/14680777.2024.2431599 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Glavin, P., Bierman, A., & Schieman, S.
- Affiliations
- McMaster University (CA)
- University of Calgary (CA)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Glavin, Paul
- Venue
- Work and Occupations
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-06-22
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 399-431
- ISSN
- 0093-9285 (ISSN-L)
- 0730-8884
- 1552-8464
- OpenAlex
- W3173882469
- Cited by
- 157
- References
- 90
- Citations by year
- 2026: 35 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 3
- FWCI
- 27.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Work and Occupations (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Economy and Work Transformation
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Industrial relations › Legal and Labor Studies
- Keywords
- gig economy, platform work, alienation, powerlessness, loneliness, social isolation, algorithmic control, employee autonomy, financial stress, psychological well-being
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
