Platform-mediated Markets, Online Freelance Workers and Deconstructed Identities

Abstract

We advance the concept of deconstructed identity to explain how online workers' identities are being reshaped, diminished and controlled by digital labor platforms. We focus on online freelance workers and contribute to contemporary conceptualizations regarding worker's self-presentation. The empirical basis for our analysis and theorizing build from two rounds of a longitudinal panel study of online freelance workers and their interactions with online labor platforms. Findings illuminate how online freelancer's identity presentation is constrained by the structuring of their profile, the ratings and client feedback, the algorithms used by the digital platform, and platform's terms of use. Data demonstrate that workers' profiles are focused on skills, reflecting the realities of competing for work in under-regulated labor markets. Study participants report the centrality of client and platform ratings of their work, and the need to manage client feedback and ratings as a core part of their online identity presentation. These findings suggest that, far from a subjective and personal story, a freelancer's identity on a digital labor platform is better understood as a standardized depiction of skills, ratings, and metrics controlled by platform algorithms. Coupled with use policies and evolving platform designs, this platform control creates what seems to be a form of indentured servitude. We further note online freelancers both recognize this control and resist their deconstructed identity.

Socio‐technical issues in the platform‐mediated gig economy: A systematic literature review: An Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) paper

“…The policy and regulation regimes shape the digital workplace in ways that benefit the company (van Doorn & Badger, 2020), sometimes benefit the gig worker (Yao, 2020), and sometimes place them as a distinct disadvantage (Gutiérrez Crocco & Atzeni, 2022; Mendonça et al, 2023). For example, freelancers on Upwork are constrained as they curate their online identities, which are critical to their finding work, because of “identity presentation restrictions due to the platform standards, policies, and identity surveillance mechanisms” (Munoz et al, 2022, p. 11). There is also a small literature that takes a critical approach to the ways in which platform companies enact their policies and regulations, for example, because of a “lack of gendered policy and infrastructure in gig platforms, women workers find it difficult to stand up for themselves when facing bias” (Ma et al, 2022, p. 5).…”

“…Digital nomads also can follow weekly podcasts for more work-related information and professional collaboration (Sutherland & Jarrahi, 2017). Munoz et al (2022) found that gig workers felt pressure to present themselves as professional through their profile image, while they emphasized "professionalism" as a critical component of how they represent themselves online.…”

Deconstructing Power Dynamics: The Role Of Language In Corporate Communica-tion Practices

“…Language in this context not only functions as a tool to convey messages, but also as a reflection of the brand image, company values, and relationships established with external stakeholders. We will explore various important aspects of language in a company's external communications strategy, including communications strategies in managing crises, building relationships with customers, and responding to societal demands (Munoz et al, 2022).…”