In 2020, more than two million platform jobs were added to the U.S. economy. Workers are drawn by the prospect of flexibility in a job without fixed schedule and the potential to earn money on-demand. Yet the same apps that promise independence often leave workers dealing with low pay, uncertainty, and long hours.
In a recent article, we argue that this tension, between rhetoric and reality, it is central to how platform work operates.
We call this tension the platform paradox: platforms invite workers to see themselves as independent entrepreneurs while quietly tightening control over how they work, present themselves, and spend their time.
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