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This article explores the writing and reading requirements of the literacy practices, events, and texts characteristic of work mediated by the online labor platforms of the gig economy, such as Airtasker and Freelancer, which bring together people needing a job done with those willing to do it. These emerging platform-based discourse communities and their associated literacies are a new domain of social activity. Based on an examination of seven gig economy platforms, the present article examines the core literacy event in the gig economy, the posting and bidding for tasks, together with the texts that enhance and support this process. While some tasks require written texts as the outcome or product, all tasks involve the creation of some form of written text as part of doing the work. These texts are both interactional and interpersonal. As well as being a part of negotiating and then getting a task done, they relate to the complexities of building the identities, knowledge, and relationships required of those working in a virtual workspace rather than a traditional workplace. While most of these texts reflect familiar text types, the core text cycle is argued to be an "emergent" genre. Implications for education are presented.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is widely acknowledged as a digital technological revolution building on the convergence of Robotics, the Internet of Things, and the Internet of Services. What is less often acknowledged is that it is also a revolution in the social practice of work. Literacy is a core social technology of work and it is changing as rapidly and radically as the digital technologies that are reshaping work, workers and working. This article is concerned with this new generation of workplace literacy practices as they shape, and are shaped by, the Fourth Industrial Revolution -- what we call Literacy 4.0. We explore two related fields of inquiry. The first is research related to the impact of technology on work practice, work organization, and employment in a period sometimes called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The second is research about literacy, specifically workplace literacy. In this paper we argue that it is necessary to take account of each of these fields of inquiry if we are to better understand how the next generation of workplace literacy practices is emerging and helping to constitute the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

This article explores the writing and reading requirements of the literacy practices, events, and texts characteristic of work mediated by the online labor platforms of the gig economy, such as Airtasker and Freelancer, which bring together people needing a job done with those willing to do it. These emerging platform-based discourse communities and their associated literacies are a new domain of social activity. Based on an examination of seven gig economy platforms, the present article examines the core literacy event in the gig economy, the posting and bidding for tasks, together with the texts that enhance and support this process. While some tasks require written texts as the outcome or product, all tasks involve the creation of some form of written text as part of doing the work. These texts are both interactional and interpersonal. As well as being a part of negotiating and then getting a task done, they relate to the complexities of building the identities, knowledge, and relationships required of those working in a virtual work space rather than a traditional workplace. While most of these texts reflect familiar text types, the core text cycle is argued to be an "emergent" genre. Implications for education are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is widely acknowledged as a digital technological revolution building on the convergence of Robotics, the Internet of Things, and the Internet of Services. What is less often acknowledged is that it is also a revolution in the social practice of work. Literacy is a core social technology of work and it is changing as rapidly and radically as the digital technologies that are reshaping work, workers and working. This article is concerned with this new generation of workplace literacy practices as they shape, and are shaped by, the Fourth Industrial Revolution – what we call Literacy 4.0. We explore two related fields of inquiry. The first is research related to the impact of technology on work practice, work organization, and employment in a period sometimes called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The second is research about literacy, specifically workplace literacy. In this paper we argue that it is necessary to take account of each of these fields of inquiry if we are to better understand how the next generation of workplace literacy practices is emerging and helping to constitute the Fourth Industrial Revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]