The double-edged sword effects of self-objectification on app workers’ proactive service behavior in the gig economy

Abstract

The unique work environment characterized by repetitiveness, fragmentation, and high reliance on instructions in app-based gig economy platforms makes their workers' self-objectification a pervasive and significant psychological phenomenon. However, the behavioral and psychological consequences of this phenomenon have been largely unexplored. This study investigates how self-objectification affects proactive service behaviors in the app-based gig economy, examining the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions through the lens of the job demands-resources model and the conservation of resources theory. The findings of surveying 682 car-hailing drivers and food delivery riders reveal that self-objectification inhibits proactive service behaviors by increasing job burnout (hindrance pathway) while simultaneously facilitating proactive service behaviors through motivating self-leadership (challenging pathway). Additionally, workers' anthropomorphic response was found to buffer the hindrance pathway and enhance the challenging pathway. These findings enrich the understanding of an objectifying self-perspective by providing relevant insights into the link between self-objectification and app workers’ proactive service behaviors.