Friday Funny: The Onion Deconstructs the 'Gig Economy'

Satirical news site The Onion lambastes (in familiar fashion) the gig economy—i.e., the euphemism applied to the side jobs and revenue sources offered by transportation network companies like Uber and short-term rental companies like Airbnb.

1 minute read

June 30, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Hotel California

Sonny Abesamis / Flickr

A totally not real analysis that should be taken as a joke and not at all anything resembling clear and sober analysis lists the pros and cons of the "gig economy," a feature of American life becoming more and more attractive to both workers and consumer, according to the post.

Among the "fake pros" of the gig economy:

  • Workers get the flexibility they need to make desperate phone calls trying to track down their next job.
  • Gives multimillion-dollar companies the ability to make money on their own schedule.

And among the "Fake cons" of the gig economy:

  • Food can still take more than several seconds to get to you after you’ve decided you want it.
  • Dilbert magnets really lose their punch in a home office.

Friday, June 23, 2017 in The Onion

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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