Yesterday I pointed out some caveats of the passion economy. Today, I consider its merits as a more meaningful shift from the past 10 years of capitalistic churning brought about by the gig economy.
Despite it’s democratic-sounding name, big behemoth brands have dominated the gig economy, capitalizing on (exploiting?) workers’ desires for flexible schedules to their benefit. The Amazon effect made convenience a 24/7 obligation: hailing cabs, receiving packages, or ordering food came to necessitate an all-hours workforce.
Meanwhile millennialism sold us on building our brands and working on our own schedules, no matter the disappointing reality.
Enter: the perfect storm for Uber and Amazon to swoop in and create productive clones nationwide to carry-out their visions of worldwide domination. Clones who were forced to trade freedom for subpar pay and protections.
Yet the gig economy for all its demerits, has provided meaningful autonomy for thousands of workers. How many of us have been pitched on a side-hustle or directed to a Soundcloud URL whilst riding in an Uber? Working with independent contractor truck drivers at my last job, it was evident how much each IC loved running his business, managing balance sheets and often employing sub-contractors.
I’m encouraged to see how we can incorporate these positive aspects of gig work, autonomy and ownership, while leaving the poverty-sustaining-billionaire-making machines in the dust. So, how to start?
