ILPC 2026

An increasing number of workers around the world are thought to be deriving at least part of their income from work accessed through online digital platforms. Platforms operate on different scales but in general, they all connect individual workers, through intermediaries, with end-users who seek specific services. A growing body of grey and peer-reviewed literature has speculated about work trends in the gig economy and there is some emerging evidence of the motivations of digital workers to participate, and the costs and benefits of doing so (e.g., Graham, Hjorth & Lehdonvirta 2017). In contrast, there is very scant evidence of the extent to which, or how workers, operating within a particular occupational and/or industry environment, are being impacted by the gig economy.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 46 photographers, this paper begins to redress this evidence gap through an exploration of the extent, nature and impact of platforms in the photography industry in Australia. Photographers are a specific, yet ideally placed group of workers to reveal how the contours of the gig economy are impacting work and workers. This is for three reasons. First, digital platforms such as Snappr, OneFlare and Imagebrief have proliferated in the industry, offering potential avenues of income generation, such as uploading images for royalty-free sale; responding to photo shoot briefs; and accessing booking services. Second, the photography industry is highly fragmented, even in the broader context of the ‘creative sector’. It consists primarily of self-employed or freelance photographers operating micro-businesses, who often supplement their income with another job (IBISWorld 2017). Freelancers are often touted as the ideal new employee in the gig economy (Kuhn 2016). Third, examining employment trends across an occupational field, rather than targeting a specific group of digital workers, allows for an examination of the motivations and experiences of those who engage with platforms, and also those who do not.

The study reports some unexpected findings. Although photographers have adapted in a range of innovative ways to social and cultural shifts resulting from technological advances, many actively resist platform work, citing either, or both, pragmatic and ideological reasons for doing so. In an effort to protect their professional identity, creative community and livelihood, photographers minimise or avoid participating in the plethora of digital platforms available. Contrary to extant literature on the benefits digital platforms offer gig workers (e.g., Minifie 2016), platforms are considered by photographers to undermine professionalism, limit creativity, and provide inflexible and inconsistent access to work. The experiences of photographers complicate our understanding of the motivations of gig economy workers and the benefits that digital platforms are thought to offer the self-employed and freelance (creative) worker.

References

Graham, M., Hjorth, I. & Lehdonvirta, V. (2017). Digital labour and development: impacts of global digital labour platforms and the gig economy on worker livelihoods. Transfer, 23(2), 135-162.

IBISWorld (2017). Industry risk rating report. Professional photographic services in Australia. IBISWorld Pty Ltd.

Kuhn, K. (2016). The risk of the “gig economy” and implications for understanding work and workers. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 9(1), 157-162.

Minifie, J. (2016). Peer-to-peer pressure - policy for the sharing economy. Grattan Institute.  Retrieved from https://grattan.edu.au/report/peer-to-peer/