Introduction: Digital Work in the Platform Economy

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an interdisciplinary approach, in which philosophy, economics, psychology, social psychology, sociology, education sciences, and public health are used and combined for analyzing the dimensions of digital work in the platform era. It explores some of the changes brought on by the digitalization and platformization of work, and discusses some of the reasons why changes such as digitalization at large are relevant and important for the future theorization of platform work. By platform economy, most researchers refer to the birth and development of multisided markets, which can have direct and/or indirect network effects. The platformization of work—meaning work that is offered, accepted, and performed increasingly through digital platforms—in many cases also means the taskification of work. The classical research canon on work and employment provides limited support for understanding how platformization currently shapes the conditions and future of work and employment.