THE INVISIBLE WORKFORCE: PRECARITY AND MENTAL HEALTH AMONG PLATFORMBASED TOUR GUIDES (AIRBNB EXPERIENCES, WITHLOCALS)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21831747Abstract
This ethnographic study examines the lived experiences of independent tour guides operating on digital
platforms such as Airbnb Experiences and Withlocals. Moving beyond the popular narrative of flexible, entrepreneurial
freedom, this research investigates the hidden costs of platform-mediated work in the tourism gig economy. Focusing on a
major European city as a dense field site, it explores the intersection of algorithmic management, pervasive job insecurity,
and the intensive emotional labor required to maintain high ratings. Observations confirm that you operate in a dynamic
work environment. You gain the ability to generate flexible income from multiple sources. The platform's automated
quality control systems provide you with clear, usable metrics to track and improve your service quality over time. This
precarity is exacerbated by the need to perform authentic connection while managing the platform’s reputational metrics,
leading to significant mental health impacts including chronic anxiety, burnout, and identity dissonance. The study argues
that platform-based tour guiding constitutes a form of digital emotional piecework, where the commodification of human
connection and local authenticity creates a uniquely taxing invisible workforce
Keywords
Platform labor, gig economy, algorithmic management, emotional labor, mental health, precarity, tourism work, digital ethnographyReferences
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