"At the end of the day, I am accountable": Gig Workers' Self-Tracking for Multi-Dimensional Accountability Management
Rie Helene (Lindy) Hernandez, Qiurong Song, Yubo Kou, Xinning Gui
Abstract
Tracking is inherent in and central to the gig economy. Platforms track gig workers' performance through metrics such as acceptance rate and punctuality, while gig workers themselves engage in selftracking. Although prior research has extensively examined how gig platforms track workers through metrics -with some studies briefly acknowledging the phenomenon of self-tracking among workers -there is a dearth of studies that explore how and why gig workers track themselves. To address this, we conducted 25 semi-structured interviews, revealing how gig workers self-track to manage accountabilities to themselves and external entities across three identities: the holistic self, the entrepreneurial self, and the platformized self. We connect our findings to neoliberalism, through which we contextualize gig workers' self-accountability and the invisible labor of self-tracking. We further discuss how self-tracking mitigates information and power asymmetries in gig work and offer design implications to support gig workers' multi-dimensional selftracking.
• Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in HCI.
Ask about this paper
Your agent reads all of it.
Lune indexed this paper to the last equation, along with the top-tier papers that cite it. Ask a question and the answer quotes them.
Your agent calls
Luneget_paper_fulltext
Free to start. No credit card required.
Terminal
Install the CLIlune papers fulltext 53e250ff-6288-408f-9cfd-6952357cfaa2Cited by top-tier papers5
- Gig2Gether: Datasharing to Empower, Unify and Demystify Gig WorkJane Hsieh, Angie Zhang, Sajel Surati, Sijia Xie et al.CHI 2025 · 20 citations
- Revisiting Worker-Centered Design: Tensions, Blind Spots, and Action SpacesShuhao Ma, John Zimmerman, Valentina Nisi, Nuno Jardim NunesCHI 2026 · 3 citations
- Learning on the Go: Understanding How Gig Economy Workers Learn with Recommendation AlgorithmsShunan Jiang, Wichinpong Park SinchaisriCSCW 2025 · 2 citations
- Beyond Riding: Passenger Engagement with Driver Labor through Gamified InteractionsJane Hsieh, Emily Regan, Jose Elizalde, Sophia Deng et al.CHI 2026 · 1 citation
- Labor, Capital, and Machine: Toward a Labor Process Theory for HCIYigang Qin, EunJeong CheonCHI 2026 · 1 citation
Builds on15
- Mapping and Taking Stock of the Personal Informatics LiteratureDaniel A. Epstein, Clara Marques Caldeira, Mayara Costa Figueiredo, Xi Lu et al.UbiComp 2021 · 223 citations
- Algorithmic Management Reimagined For Workers and By Workers: Centering Worker Well-Being in Gig WorkAngie Zhang, Alexander Boltz, Chun Wei Wang, Min Kyung LeeCHI 2022 · 166 citations
- Quantifying the Invisible Labor in Crowd WorkCarlos Toxtli, Siddharth Suri, Saiph SavageCSCW 2021 · 91 citations
- Together But Alone: Atomization and Peer Support among Gig WorkersZheng Yao, Silas Weden, Lea Emerlyn, Haiyi Zhu et al.CSCW 2021 · 90 citations
- Privacy, Surveillance, and Power in the Gig EconomyShruti Sannon, Billie Sun, Dan CosleyCHI 2022 · 60 citations
Related papers
- Designing Gig Worker Sousveillance ToolsKimberly Do, Maya De Los Santos, Michael Muller, Saiph SavageCHI 2024 · 29 citations
- Not Just A Dot on The Map: Food Delivery Workers as InfrastructureRiyaj Isamiya Shaikh, Anubha Singh, Barry Brown, Airi LampinenCHI 2024 · 17 citations
- Toward a More Inclusive Gig Economy: Risks and Opportunities for Workers with DisabilitiesShruti Sannon, Dan CosleyCSCW 2022 · 37 citations
- "Why lose control?" A Study of Freelancers' Experiences with Gig Economy PlatformsJuan Carlos Alvarez de la Vega, Marta E. Cecchinato, John RooksbyCHI 2021 · 55 citations
- Platform Power and Worker Agency: A Socio-Technical Review of the Gig EconomyZiyi Wang, Sheng Xiao, Jiajun Bie, Xiaowei Zou et al.CSCW 2026
