High score, low pay: why the gig economy loves gamification
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ig-economy
Sarah Mason wrote:It is not uncommon to hear ride-hailing drivers compare even the mundane act of operating their vehicles to the immersive and addictive experience of playing a video game or a slot machine. In an article published by the Financial Times, long-time driver Herb Croakley put it perfectly: "It gets to a point where the app sort of takes over your motor functions in a way. It becomes almost like a hypnotic experience. You can talk to drivers and you'll hear them say things like, I just drove a bunch of Uber pools for two hours, I probably picked up 30–40 people and I have no idea where I went. In that state, they are literally just listening to the sounds [of the driver's apps]. Stopping when they said stop, pick up when they say pick up, turn when they say turn. You get into a rhythm of that, and you begin to feel almost like an android."
Of course she adopts a mistrustful, even conspiratorial attitude throughout that stops just shy of being shrill. I mean look at this:
Sarah Mason wrote:It is not uncommon for drivers to accuse ride-hailing companies of programming their algorithms to favour the interests of the corporation.
lol why would they program their algorithms to favour anyone else's interests? Are you retarded or what?
And the answer is that of course she is retarded, at least compared to the rest of the population which is capable of generating an income via a more cerebral means than driving people around. Hence the conspiracy theories and shrillness. I mean, in a few years this job will indeed be done by androids, so it's no wonder that the people who are doing it today are being mentally massaged to start behaving like that now.
Solid read nevertheless. I was not even remotely aware of this stuff.