Experiencing Objectification in Platform Work: Food Delivery Riders’ Accounts of Organizational Absence and Self-Valuation

Authors

• Emerald Jay D. Ilac, Ateneo de Manila UniversityFollow
• Ma. Tonirose D. Mactal, Ateneo de Manila UniversityFollow
• Clarisse Aeaea M. Kilboy, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

This study aimed to explain how food delivery platform riders experience objectification in the context of platform-based work, with particular attention to how organizational practices and leadership shape experiences of marginalization, dignity, and voice. A qualitative design was employed using Descriptive Phenomenological Analysis. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine food delivery platform riders to describe the essential structures of their lived experiences of objectification. Subaltern Theory was used as an interpretive lens in making sense of the findings. Five experiential themes were identified: (1) leaders’ non-presence resulting in perceived abandonment, (2) leaders’ devaluing of food delivery riders, (3) social devaluation of personhood, (4) the creation of self-supporting leadership, and (5) self-valuation through autonomy. The findings illustrate how leadership absence, paternalistic practices, and social devaluation contribute to experiences of devoicing and marginalization, while also revealing how riders negotiate these conditions through collective support, self-governance, and everyday forms of agency. This study contributes to research on equality, dignity, and inclusion in platform-based work by providing a phenomenological account of how objectification and devoicing are experienced and negotiated by gig workers in a Southeast Asian context. It extends existing research by highlighting how these experiences are shaped through relational dynamics, power asymmetries, and organizational practices.

Recommended Citation

Ilac, E. J. D., Mactal, M. T. D., & Kilboy, C. A. M. (2024). Experiencing objectification in platform work: Food delivery riders’ accounts of organizational absence and self-valuation. Philippine Academy of Management E-Journal, 9(2), 111–120. https://archium.ateneo.edu/