On April 3rd, 2017, I looked at the New York Times article by Noam Scheiber titled How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers' Buttons. This article appeals particularly to the many users of Uber, as well as its plethora of drivers and those with concerns about the company's ethics. In the midst of controversies such as their chief officer quitting, driver counts decreasing, charges of a sexually tense work environment, and their CEO yelling at a driver, Uber hasn't seemed especially favorable in the public eye, so many articles have recently focused on the company. This article reveals yet another potential controversy: That Uber taps into the brain's reward and goal systems by using video game-like encouragement to get them to keep driving and ultimately make the company more money with little regard for their own well being. Uber aims to make its drivers more so permanent, tied down employees rather than freelance contractors; this is the basis of the company's goal of corporate growth. The author reveals their purpose to be portraying Uber's larger desires and the ways it will go about improving its driver relations while stimulating corporate growth and contractor commitment. Uber utilizes a variety of strategies to manipulate drivers. These include pre-loading a customer while a driver is still driving another client, encouragement to meet superficial 'goals' that have no substantive reward, and giving drivers locations where they will be able to give the most rides in a certain time, so that they will not be idle and cost themselves and Uber money. Interestingly many graphics are employed throughout the text to demonstrate how Uber drivers can make the most money that they possibly can within a certain area. These graphics make it clear that there are always a stream of clients needing to be driven, in some areas more than others, and that drivers will always have work in these areas. The problem, of course, is that it is often difficult for these drivers to stop, and they often work themselves to exhaustion or to the point of not wanting to even continue driving for Uber, which is a long term implication the company wants to avoid. Uber's biggest goal is committed drivers who stay with the company and have flexibility and willingness to drive, not on just 'slow' days but on busy days, like weekends, too. I wonder, is Uber's psychological motivation, while not illegal and technically not damaging, really an appalling thing? I personally believe that Uber's systems will definitely improve commitment to their brand and that it helps drivers to stay focused on their task of driving and picking up more and more people. I think that drivers must know their own limits and when they need to stop so that they will remain effective. Uber is an interesting 'gig-company' with some shocking, if not slightly revolutionary, business practices.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/02/technology/uber-drivers-psychological-tricks.html?action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&module=Trending&version=Full®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article
