The Role of Digital Communities in Organizing Gig Workers |
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| Authors: | Michael David Maffie |
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| Institution: | The author’s affiliation is Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania. E-mail: mdm283@cornell.edu. The data collection efforts for this article were supported by a research grant from Cornell University’s ILR School. The author gratefully acknowledges the feedback and insights provided by Alexander Colvin, David B. Lipsky, and Louis Hyman. Additionally, the author is indebted to Rachel Aleks and Adam Seth Litwin for their advice and suggestions on an earlier draft of this article. Finally, data collection would not have been possible without the support Harry Campbell. |
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| Abstract: | Using survey data from 450 ridehail drivers, this article examines how social networking sites (SNS) influence workers’ views on union instrumentality and unionization. This article finds that more frequent interaction with other workers in online communities is associated with improved views of union instrumentality and interest in joining a ridehail drivers' association. These findings link together the fields of information sciences and industrial relations and suggest a new institutional actor in modern industrial systems, the online worker network. |
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