The challenges of the platform economy for social cohesion and the significance of creating a "digital citizenship"

The development of the platform economy is reshaping the labor market and posing new challenges for citizens, democracy, and the welfare state. There is a positive approach that argues that platform work will function as a social stabilizer by creating new income opportunities, especially for those in greater need. On the other hand, many argue that the platform economy exacerbates existing inequalities. However, recent studies highlight various factors and different forms of platform work that lead to diverse outcomes. Therefore, it seems that these issues should be addressed distinctly and always in correlation with the specific specialization of workers. Simultaneously, digital education for citizens is essential to narrow the gap between "laggards and leaders," i.e., inequality due to this specific transformation. Consequently, the development of "digital citizenship" is necessary to ensure democracy in the digital age, fostering critical thinking while embedding social justice within the platform economy and the broader context of digital transformation. To achieve this, the welfare state needs to be active in providing the necessary skills and intervening in cases where the expansion of inequalities due to the platform economy is identified. The aim of this presentation is to document and analyze these phenomena and their directions, challenges and barriers that they pose in modern digitalizing democracies.