The Many Futures of Work and Skill: Gender and Occupational Influences on Online Freelancers' Skilling Experiences in Platform Work

Date of Award

8-22-2025

Date Published

September 2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Information Science & Technology

Advisor(s)

Steve Sawyer

Keywords

Human-computer interaction;Skill;User experience design;Work

Abstract

This dissertation examines how people understand, develop, and apply skills in one emerging future of work: online freelancing on digital labor platforms. As more workers turn to new forms of work enabled by emerging technologies, they are reshaping not only how work is performed but also what it means to be skilled and how one becomes skilled. My dissertation focuses on online freelancing, recognizing that workers must build skills to navigate new technologies, interfaces, and expectations, often in environments that overlook their lived experiences and diverse challenges. Drawing on a longitudinal, mixed-methods study of 108 online freelancers on Upwork, I address two central questions: (1) how the nature of work and skill development is evolving, and (2) how these evolutions affect individuals differently depending on their social positions, such as gender, occupation, and other circumstances. A central contribution of this dissertation is a rethinking of skill in the future of work, not as a fixed human trait independent of context, but as an emergent experience shaped by the interactions among people, technologies, and social conditions. This situational and relational perspective helps explain why workers performing similar tasks may encounter vastly different skill learning curves, barriers, and outcomes. By surfacing these diverse realities, my dissertation also offers actionable insights for designing more sustainable and inclusive user experiences in platform-mediated work.

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