Gig Economy: Is It a Poisonous Apple? an Empirical Study of Uber Drivers

The development of digital peer-to-peer platforms and applications, known as the gig economy, is radically transforming the world we live in. Previous literature has focused on the bright side of the gig economy (e.g. factors leading to its adoption). However, little is known about the dark side of the gig economy. In this chapter, we develop a research framework exploring the effects of detrimental factors (i.e. customer aggression, disproportionate customer expectations, and ambiguous customer expectations) on emotional exhaustion and, in turn, on job satisfaction and life satisfaction using the example of Uber. The results have useful implications for researchers and practitioners.