Slash-career workers pursue passion projects chiefly for income in uncertain labor markets
Evidence
Some commentators, such as New York Times writer Sheila Marikar, argue that these hybrid professional lives are pursued for creative rather than economic reasons. But my research shows that many slashies are not merely trying to escape the banality of their “day jobs”; rather, they are trying to earn incomes from their so-called passion projects in the midst of a labor market that is rife with uncertainty. — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love, 14
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to gig-economy and precarity literature (Kalleberg, Standing) and to the broader ‘do what you love’ critique launched by Miya Tokumitsu. — connects to: Deferred ‘exposure’ and visibility pay most aspirational content creators poorly — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love:…, 11; Flexible gig work shifts organizational risks onto individual workers — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love:…, 39; Content creators’ earnings are piecemeal and far below popular perceptions — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love:…, 572 (+4 more)
- recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
Broader Connections
- Independent-work boosters frame gig careers as voluntary self-fulfillment
#qualifies(0.82) — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love, 508 - The contractor framing of gig work mainly benefits employers, not workers
#corroborates(0.75) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 217 - The career portfolio externalizes risk onto workers while capital reaps the rewards.
#complicates(0.72) — Max Haiven, Cultures of Financialization, 455