As digital labor markets continue to grow, transferring risks and costs onto workers, it is critical that the experience of the individual digital worker is re-prioritised as a focus within research and public discourse.
Accordingly, this project conducts an in-depth empirical investigation into the function, status, and meaning creation of individual workers in the future digital economy.
Research along five work packages, focusing on macro-, meso-, and micro- dimensions of the digital economy, will result in the development of inclusive labor designs for a fairer digital economy.
For the macro-dimension, this project will commence with a thorough mapping of the current and future digital economy.
For the meso-dimension, the project will investigate the roles of organizations and institutions, especially the pivotal role of platforms, in shaping the experiences of digital labor.
The micro-dimension refers to the situational experiences of digital workers, where we will explore questions of digital literacy and preparedness, identity, and status.
As an overall driving construct, this project aims to understand how individual digital workers can create a sense of belonging, meaningfulness, and mattering in the increasingly remote, decontextualized, and fragmented digital economy.