Algorithms as work environment

Background and aim: The gig economy is upon us. More and more people have tried to perform work mediated through a digital platform. In Denmark, 1% of the Danish population has earned money via a digital platform, of whom 36% are students (Ilsøe and Madsen 2017). The digital labor market is composed of a variety of digital platforms and services or ‘gigs’. Some platforms mediate tasks that are delivered locally in the physical world, such as food delivery and carpentry. Other platforms mediate tasks delivered online, such as search engine optimization and translation tasks. The emergence of social media platforms and entertainment platforms, such as YouTube and Twitch, have allowed people to earn money as for instance YouTubers, fashion bloggers, or e-sport gamers. While the digital platforms claim to be mere facilitators of transactions between entrepreneurs and customers (Prassl 2018), they excess a tight control over the workers through the algorithms embedded in the platforms, which influence the workers’ working conditions (Prassl 2018; Wood et al. 2018). The proclaimed promises of this new type of work are autonomy and flexibility for workers. However, studies show that the perils include insecurity regarding income and work, poor work conditions, overwork etc. (ibid.).
Since labor market changes and new ways of working usually appear among young workers before adult workers (Furlong 2014), this paper investigates young workers digital work life and their encounters with algorithmic control.

The question asked: How do young workers in Denmark between the age of 18 and 30 experience algorithmic control on Digital Platforms? How do algorithms influence work environment and risks? What actions do the young workers take, if any, in order to engage with the algorithms?

Method: This study is based on qualitative interviews with 20 young adults aged 18-30 from Denmark who work on the digital labor market. The study includes gamers, YouTubers, influencers, digital nomads, and workers on different ‘gig’ platforms. The data is collected as part of a research project on risks and work environment among young workers on the digital labor market running from January 2018-December 2019. The themes included in the interviews were about the young workers’ life situation, working routines, work organization, pay, social -and economic risks, and risks and working environment.

Findings: Preliminary findings suggest that the algorithmic control happening across the various platforms influence the young workers’ work practices, income opportunities, and work environment. Some workers express an algorithmic awareness and develop ways in order to engage with the algorithms and become ‘algorithmically recognizable’ (Gillespie 2014).

Key words: Young workers, work environment, digital labor market, algorithmic control


References
Furlong, Andy. 2014. “Foreword.” In Young People and Social Policy in Europe: Dealing with Risk, Inequality and Precarity in Times of Crisis, edited by Lorenza Antonucci, Myra Hamilton, and Steven Roberts. Work and Welfare in Europe. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gillespie, Tarleton. 2014. “The Relevance of Algorithms.” In Media Technologies, edited by Tarleton Gillespie, Pablo J. Boczkowski, and Kirsten A. Foot, 167–94. The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262525374.003.0009.
Ilsøe, Anna, and Louise Weber Madsen. 2017. “Digitalisering af arbejdsmarkedet - Danskernes erfaring med digital automatisering og digitale platforme.” FAOS Forskningsnotat 157, September, 59.
Prassl, Jeremias. 2018. Humans as a Service. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198797012.001.0001.
Wood, Alex J, Mark Graham, Vili Lehdonvirta, and Isis Hjorth. 2018. “Good Gig, Bad Gig: Autonomy and Algorithmic Control in the Global Gig Economy.” Work, Employment and Society, August, 095001701878561. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017018785616.