Communication, Technology, and Gig Work

4-None

Examines the communicative and organizational dynamics associated with the rise of the gig economy as it reshapes work all around the world. Heralded by many as a new form of employment which offers workers flexibility and autonomy, others raise questions regarding equitable work practices, worker privacy, algorithmic control, work motivation, work overload, technostress, and workers rights. The course explores the ways in which communication plays a central role in how states regulate and classify gig work, how workers experience gig work, and the ways in which these emerging platforms may reproduce gender and racial disparities in opportunities and wage earnings.