Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, United States
The rise of the distributed gig economy raises questions about how its members (e.g., workers, customers) voice and build solidarity. While scholars have long found that synchronous acts of voice in physical “free spaces” (Kerr and Siegel 1954; Nissen and Jarley 2005) such as the break room facilitate solidarity, there is much less research focusing on how information technology architecture, such as digital forums, affect voice and activism. Drawing on interviews (n=114), online postings (n=7600), and archival materials, we document the emergence of voice activism—a voice structure that emerges within online asynchronous communities for sharing insights, continual experimentation, and forming alliances. We distinguish between shallow activism, acts of voice that help others grow their understandings of the platform, and deep activism, which are calls to community action, and discuss how they are shaped by class identities. We conclude with insights about how digital communities could facilitate cross-class activism.
