Ageing and Well-being in the Gig Economy: Older Workers between Hope and Exploitation in Vietnam

While critical studies on the dark side of gig work abound, it is often forgotten that in the Global South, many low-skilled jobs have always been precarious, and gig work can help people exercise agency in sustaining their livelihoods. In this chapter, we highlight media representations of older motorcycle drivers for ride-hailing platform companies in Vietnam. Considering how age norms and gender relations in society condition their experiences, we elucidate how the well-being of older gig workers plays out between hope and exploitation. Based on a study of news stories, we propose the notion of “platformized hope” to understand how exploitation of gig workers takes place through nurturing their sense of hope for a better future. We suggest that the ways in which platform companies manufacture stories to soothe anxieties of (potential) gig workers with their promises must be brought to public scrutiny.