On Demand: Digital Platforms & Class Conflict in the Gig Economy

Abstract

The gig economy represents an ongoing shift in the world of work and can be understood as the most recent attempt by Capital as a class to dominate and undermine the power of workers, collectively known as Labour. Since new forms of work give new structure to how individuals experience this class conflict, drawing on their experiences can offer insight into the larger conflict itself. This thesis therefore interviews 19 Uber drivers in the Greater Toronto Area with the goal of answering how these gig workers experience class conflict and how the digital platform that they work through mediates that experience. Results collected were consistent with previous qualitative research on gig workers. Additionally, workers’ experience demonstrates that firms in the gig economy use their monopolistic control over their digital platform to structure the parameters of the job to suit the needs of Capital and undermine the collective power of Labour.