Graduation Date
Spring 2025
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Public Sociology
Committee Chair Name
Stefanie Israel de Souza
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Michihiro Clark Sugata
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Gig economy, Platform labor, Algorithmic management, Economic precarity, Labor sociology, Digital labor, Rideshare drivers, Debt, Debt cycles, Labor exploitation, Precarious employment, Platform capitalism, Worker autonomy, Algorithmic control
Subject Categories
Sociology
Abstract
Platform-based gig work has rapidly expanded in the United States, leading to growing concerns about economic precarity, algorithmic management, and the sustainability of labor performed through apps. Gig work has been accused of fostering exploitative conditions, masking control through the language of flexibility, and deepening cycles of debt and insecurity for workers. However, the lived experiences of gig workers often reveal complexities that differ from public narratives and company portrayals. This thesis builds on sociological studies of labor precarity to examine how platform-based gig workers experience, internalize, and resist algorithmic control. Utilizing qualitative semi-structured interviews, fifteen rideshare and delivery drivers across multiple app platforms were interviewed about their work experiences, debt burdens, and strategies for navigating platform demands. These interviews identified recurring concerns with unpredictable earnings, algorithmic surveillance, and rising indebtedness as central features of platform work. Workers described how algorithmic systems obscure the true conditions of their labor, while simultaneously deepening their dependence on gig work for survival. Participants also revealed patterns of resilience, including acts of small resistance against algorithmic control and collective attempts to reclaim autonomy. The continual reproduction of instability through algorithmic management practices highlights the structural limitations faced by workers seeking lasting change. This research contributes to emerging fields in sociology and labor studies focused on understanding the material and emotional realities of platform economies. The in-depth qualitative interviews conducted in this thesis provide detailed insight into the challenges, coping strategies, and fractured hopes of workers laboring under the guise of digital independence.
Citation Style
ASA
Recommended Citation
Hoehn, Catey, ""We'll never get this opportunity again": Lived experiences of platform-based gig workers" (2025). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2288.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2288