Marxist Theories

Sociologists are looking back at Karl Marx's ideas about work and abuse because of the rise of the gig economy. Some examples of gig economies are food delivery, rideshare driving, and freelance platforms. There are often power issues with tech platforms and gig workers' income isn't stable. Platforms own the "means of production," like apps and algorithms, while workers are below them and don't have control over these digital tools. This is an example of Marx's idea of class struggle.

As Marx might say, even words like "partners" are idealistic masks that hide the fact that workers are being exploited. Max Weber's ideas about rationalization can also be seen in the computer management of gig work: apps maximize output and efficiency, but in a strict, rule-based way that can feel like a "iron cage" to workers. Emile Durkheim's idea of anomie, or a lack of norms, also makes sense. Gig workers don't follow normal work rules and don't have clear rights or a sense of community, w

Novasari, R. O., Khairullah, M., Kartika, T., & Aryanti, N. Y. This paper looks at how platforms and online ojek drivers interact in the gig economy from a Marxist point of view. The first issue of the Electronic Journal of Education, Social Economics, and Technology.