Heros or Schmucks?: Implications of the Hero Narrative for Gig Workers During the CoVid-19 Pandemic

Lindsey D. Cameron; Jordan Nye Fekete

Heros or Schmucks?: Implications of the Hero Narrative for Gig Workers During the CoVid-19 Pandemic

Lindsey D. Cameron ,
Jordan Nye Fekete

August 2020

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ABSTRACT

Overnight the pandemic has turned luxury services into essential services. Nowhere is this more evident than in food delivery where grocery shoppers have been dubbed ‘heros’ by the media and customers alike. Yet these workers encounter persistent precarious work conditions as they labor under invasive technology, fickle customers, and ever-changing platform rules. Drawing on a qualitative field study, including interviews, digital artifacts, forum posts, and newspaper articles, of grocery shoppers during the pandemic, we explore how individuals construct narratives of their work and the outcomes of said narratives. We begin by describing the construction of the hero narrative through media, customer interactions, and the platform and how workers either accept, reject, or contextualize the hero narrative. Our preliminary analysis suggests these responses to the hero narrative result in different strategies for engaging with the work and outcomes. This study has implications for literature in narrative construction, meaning-making, gig work, and precarious labor.

Keywords

algorithm, gig economy, narrative, essential workers, platform-based work, precarious work, coronavirus pandemic

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/S

Lindsey D. Cameron
University of Pennsylvania
ldcamer@wharton.upenn.edu (opens in new tab)

“Lindsey D. Cameron is an assistant professor of management at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on how changes in the modern workplace (e.g., algorithms/machine learning, short-term employment contracts, variable pay) affect work and workers. Her website is www.lindseycameron.com (opens in new tab)

Jordan Nye Fekete
University of Pennsylvania

Jordan Nye Fekete is a research associate affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and is interested in the creation, application, and impact of narratives.