An Analysis On The Essence Of Gig Economy From The Perspective Of Marx’s Capital Criticism

With the development of the Internet and digital information technology,human beings have entered the information age.In the context of a new round of industrial revolution,the gig economy emerged as a new form of employment adapted to the digital information technology system.This is a new employment economic mode that organically connects countless laborers with labor demanders by means of a digital platform that can generate,extract data and match information on demand,and play the role of organization and matching supply and demand in the form of an intermediary.In the gig economy model,workers can freely choose working hours and locations,and enjoy a high degree of independence and flexibility.Therefore,the formal subordination of labor to capital is gradually weakening,and the boundary between the power and responsibility relationship between labor and capital is gradually disappearing.In the traditional sense,the manifestation of the antagonistic relationship between capital and labor has been greatly changed,seemingly realizing the equality between labor and capital.But in fact,based on the perspective of Marx’s capital criticism,the essential relationship between capital and labor has not changed in the gig economy,and the degree of commodification of labor in the gig economy is gradually deepening,and labor under this employment model is still actually subordinate to capital.,capital still occupies the surplus value of labor for free,and capital is still dependent on labor.The gig economy has not only become a new form of capital accumulation supported by digital platforms,but also in a more hidden way to improve the efficiency of capital accumulation and expand the scope of capital accumulation by extending the labor time of workers,expanding new space and bringing the free labor force back into the capital operation track.Although this new employment method can improve labor productivity to a certain extent,reduce the production cost of platform enterprises and provide flexible employment positions for workers.But it has accelerated the formation of the capital monopoly pattern,exacerbated the contradiction of excess capital accumulation and further intensified the contradiction between capital and labor.Therefore,based on the perspective of Marx’s capital criticism,identifying the self-proliferation power of capital behind the gig economy through the appearance of it will not only help to grasp the true meaning of the gig economy,but also provide a theoretical basis for promoting the healthy development of the gig economy.