A Nightnography of Food Couriers: Precarity and Inequality in After Dark Platform Work

Food couriers working after dark are an under-researched group in "platform capitalism," remaining relatively invisible in digitized cityscapes due to the nature of their night-time work. Drawing upon multi-sited in-person and digital nightnography in London (UK) and Cork (Ireland) and employing impressionistic mini portraits, this chapter documents experiences of precarity and inequality. It argues that existing literature often disembodies platform work, whereas today's post-circadian capitalist era demands and extracts capital in traditional (bodily) ways through new denominations. Food couriers, especially those working after dark, are under duress from navigating traffic, waiting without getting orders, and staying alert. The chapter also highlights the gendered nature of platform work and contributes to debates on the digitalization of precarity and inequality.