Digital Work: A Conceptual Clarification

Abstract

This paper provides a typology of digital work – a popular term still lacking a clear meaning. We show how previous attempts to capture the essence of digital work struggle to provide a meaningful yet comprehensive understanding of what differentiates traditional from digital work. We draw on prior literature to argue that digital work requires three rationales to be fulfilled: process (How?), outcome (What?), and objective (Why?). Based on this, we highlight three variations – digital enabled work, digital engaged work, and digital embedded work. This typology allows us to define digital work more clearly and enables future research to adequately study and theorize digital work. Furthermore, this typology permits considering alternate classifications for activities and actors in work that traditional work conceptualizations fail to include.