Gig Economy Platforms and Crisis Communication: A Study on the Discourse Strategies Employed by Companies during Regulatory Challenges

Abstract

The traditional labour structures and economic models have been drastically altered as a direct result of the rise of the gig economy. On the other hand, it frequently encounters significant legal barriers, which necessitates the application of advanced crisis communication strategies. This study uses qualitative discourse analysis to investigate a select group of gig economy services such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash, in order to analyse public comments, news releases, and social media postings made by these companies. It highlights three key themes by applying grounded theory coding approaches. These themes are compliance and legal adherence, public welfare and safety, along with transparency and openness. The aforementioned facets are effectively included within a central category that is referred to as "Strategic Discourse Management," which displays a purposeful approach for managing public opinion as well as regulatory engagements. From this study, the three major themes which emerged from crisis communication used by the companies are deflection, normalisation and public engagement. This research makes an important contribution to the current body of literature on crisis communication within the contexts of the platform economy and gig economy while providing deep insight for players operating in India