Gig2Gether: Data-sharing to Empower, Unify and Demystify Gig Work

TL;DR

Gig2Gether introduces a data-sharing platform that empowers gig workers by fostering solidarity, supporting financial planning, and informing policy through collective data exchange, addressing transparency and isolation issues.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel data-sharing space for gig workers that facilitates mutual support, financial reflection, and policy influence, based on a 7-day field study.

Findings

Data-sharing supports mutual support and financial planning.

Workers envision future uses for policy and collective analysis.

Challenges remain in addressing data transparency and infrastructural needs.

Abstract

The wide adoption of platformized work has generated remarkable advancements in the labor patterns and mobility of modern society. Underpinning such progress, gig workers are exposed to unprecedented challenges and accountabilities: lack of data transparency, social and physical isolation, as well as insufficient infrastructural safeguards. Gig2Gether presents a space designed for workers to engage in an initial experience of voluntarily contributing anecdotal and statistical data to affect policy and build solidarity across platforms by exchanging unifying and diverse experiences. Our 7-day field study with 16 active workers from three distinct platforms and work domains showed existing affordances of data-sharing: facilitating mutual support across platforms, as well as enabling financial reflection and planning. Additionally, workers envisioned future use cases of data-sharing for collectivism (e.g., collaborative examinations of algorithmic speculations) and informing policy (e.g., around safety and pay), which motivated (latent) worker desiderata of additional capabilities and data metrics. Based on these findings, we discuss remaining challenges to address and how data-sharing tools can complement existing structures to maximize worker empowerment and policy impact.