What keeps gig workers motivated? A typology of the intrinsic-extrinsic motivation interplay in the digital gig economy
- 1Department of Business Management, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Malabe, Sri Lanka
- 2Department of Information Management, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Malabe, Sri Lanka
Abstract
The rise of digital platforms has intensified scholarly interest in understanding how gig workers remain motivated. This paper explores the influence of digital skills in shaping gig worker motivation and engagement, with particular focus given to the dynamic interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. A qualitative research design was employed, utilising snowball sampling to garner insights from platform-based gig workers in Sri Lanka. A total of 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with gig workers primarily engaging in Upwork and Fiverr, with the results being analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that digital skills function beyond technical competencies by being psychological enablers of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Similarly, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational drivers can interact in a reinforcing or controlling manner creating distinct motivation patterns that shape engagement. Platform providers can utilise these insights to design reinforcement oriented motivational features such as informational feedback systems and transparent performance metrics. The motivation typology offers guidance in developing engagement strategies tailored to different motivational profiles, which will foster economic growth aligned with SDG 8, ensuring decent employment opportunities. Limitations include the focus on the Sri Lankan context which limits the findings to South Asia while restricting broader generalisability. Future research could benefit from employing representative samples across various cultural contexts. This study contributes to the limited empirical work surrounding the psychological mechanisms linking digital skills and gig worker engagement. It offers new insights through the introduction of a motivation interplay matrix and typology which provides a framework for understanding gig worker engagement.
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BibTeX
@article{subasinghe2026what,
title = {{What keeps gig workers motivated? A typology of the intrinsic-extrinsic motivation interplay in the digital gig economy}},
author = {Yuthara Subasinghe and Jameel Shuhaib and Senuri Kelly and Rashini Maleesha and Krishantha Wisenthige and Lochana Perera},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0345881},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0345881},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - What keeps gig workers motivated? A typology of the intrinsic-extrinsic motivation interplay in the digital gig economy
AU - Yuthara Subasinghe
AU - Jameel Shuhaib
AU - Senuri Kelly
AU - Rashini Maleesha
AU - Krishantha Wisenthige
AU - Lochana Perera
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0345881
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0345881
AB - The rise of digital platforms has intensified scholarly interest in understanding how gig workers remain motivated. This paper explores the influence of digital skills in shaping gig worker motivation and engagement, with particular focus given to the dynamic interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. A qualitative research design was employed, utilising snowball sampling to garner insights from platform-based gig workers in Sri Lanka. A total of 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with gig workers primarily engaging in Upwork and Fiverr, with the results being analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that digital skills function beyond technical competencies by being psychological enablers of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Similarly, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational drivers can interact in a reinforcing or controlling manner creating distinct motivation patterns that shape engagement. Platform providers can utilise these insights to design reinforcement oriented motivational features such as informational feedback systems and transparent performance metrics. The motivation typology offers guidance in developing engagement strategies tailored to different motivational profiles, which will foster economic growth aligned with SDG 8, ensuring decent employment opportunities. Limitations include the focus on the Sri Lankan context which limits the findings to South Asia while restricting broader generalisability. Future research could benefit from employing representative samples across various cultural contexts. This study contributes to the limited empirical work surrounding the psychological mechanisms linking digital skills and gig worker engagement. It offers new insights through the introduction of a motivation interplay matrix and typology which provides a framework for understanding gig worker engagement.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -