Abstract
This paper examines algorithmic wage discrimination in the gig economy through the lens of Actor–Network Theory. It argues that pay opacity on app-based labor platforms is not simply a byproduct of technological growth, but is built into the network of apps, pricing algorithms, incentive systems, rating mechanisms, workers, customers, regulators, and platform companies that organize gig work. Using Actor–Network Theory, the paper analyzes the smartphone app as an obligatory passage point, incentive structures as translation mechanisms, sunk costs and behavioral nudges as forms of enrollment, and opaque pay algorithms as black boxes that prevent workers from understanding or contesting how their wages are calculated. The paper also examines sites of resistance, including informal worker forums, labor organizing, and regulatory interventions around minimum pay rules and tip transparency. Ultimately, the paper argues that algorithmic wage discrimination is both a technical and ethical problem because it limits worker autonomy, obscures accountability, and shifts power toward platform-controlled systems that workers depend on but cannot fully inspect.
