Mapping the prestige and social value of occupations in the digital economy

Abstract

With the emergence of the digital economy, the occupational landscape in many countries has undergone major transformations. While scholars have started to study the working conditions of digital economy occupations such as app-based food delivery couriers and social media influencers, assessing societal perceptions of these occupations remains uncharted territory. This article provides a substantive contribution through an in-depth analysis of occupational prestige and occupational social value perceptions across 76 UK digital economy occupations. Leveraging two expansive surveys with more than 2400 respondents, the findings show that these nascent occupations tend to have modest prestige, and that their perceived social value is lower than that of analogous non-digital occupations. Socio-economic factors and attitudes foster variability in societal perceptions. The research thus advances a nuanced understanding of the evolving digital economy, providing evidence for fellow researchers, policymakers, and the larger public, for whom the results help contextualize career choices and occupational identities.