How does the pandemic highlight the gig economy's impact?

During the pandemic, dependence on gig workers grew significantly, yet their vulnerability intensified, revealing the human cost behind the convenience.

What is the role of algorithms and consumer entitlement in the gig economy?

Algorithms manage gig workers, while consumer entitlement fuels a demand for instant gratification, creating pressure and reducing human accountability for workers.

How can society address the invisibility of gig workers?

By using storytelling to restore empathy, expose complicity, and recognize the people carrying the weight of technological advancements.

Home / Business and Economy / Beyond Convenience: The Human Toll of Delivery Apps

Beyond Convenience: The Human Toll of Delivery Apps

25 Jan

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Summary

Gig workers face fear and vulnerability within algorithmic systems.
Consumer entitlement fuels a cycle of instant gratification and worker pressure.
Technology in the gig economy removes human accountability.

Beyond Convenience: The Human Toll of Delivery Apps

Filmmaker Nandita Das and author Vandana Vasudevan recently convened in Kolkata to discuss the often-unseen human impact of India's rapidly expanding gig economy. Their conversation, held at a literary festival, focused on how app-driven labor, such as food delivery and quick commerce, is shaped by algorithms and consumer expectations.

Das shared that her concern for delivery workers grew during the pandemic, a period highlighting their essential role alongside their increased vulnerability. She noted that the fear embedded in the system deeply affected riders, who often apologized for minor delays. Vasudevan characterized the current delivery culture as a peak of consumer pampering, where instant gratification is the norm, and platforms cater to endless desires.

Both speakers emphasized that the gig economy's design often obscures human accountability. Workers are managed by apps and algorithms, with grievances typically handled through automated systems. However, they stressed that consumers wield significant power through their ratings and complaints, urging greater awareness. Das concluded that storytelling's aim is to foster empathy and expose societal complicity, questioning our willingness to acknowledge the human cost of technological convenience.