Reconceptualising Motivation in the Gig Economy: A Systematic Review of Algorithmic, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Drivers

Abstract

The high growth rate of the gig economy has turned the conventional employment relations into digital mediated task based relations that are controlled by algorithm systems. Nevertheless, the study of gig worker motivation is still a fragmented field of study in theoretical frameworks and disciplines. This paper will use a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) based on PRISMA guidelines to integrate 69 peer-reviewed articles published in 2016-2026. The literature review discusses the theoretical bases, motivation process, platform processes, and related psychological and performance consequences of gig work environments. The results shows that the Self-Determination Theory prevails in the literature with autonomy and flexibility as key intrinsic motivators. Nonetheless, algorithmic management creates an autonomy-control paradox, where online monitoring and performance indicators can provide efficiency and restrict self-determination at the same time. The extrinsic incentives, such as surge pricing and performance-based payments increase the productivity in the short run but may not guarantee long-term engagement. The gamification processes also make the motivational processes more complex as it combines both the intrinsic reinforcement and externally controlled positive behavioral cues. Another finding of the review is heterogeneous well-being results that are influenced by situational moderators like geographic location, economic dependence, and typology of workers. This research contributes to the theoretical knowledge on motivation in the platform-mediated labor systems by applying dispersed streams of research to a multi-layered conceptual framework. It also also traces some gaps in methodology and contextualization, and suggests the research agenda of the future, where longitudinal designs, theoretical diversification, and sustainability-oriented perspectives are concerned. The results are relevant to the research of organizational behavior, human resource management, and digital work scholarship as the research provides a thorough synthesis of motivational processes in the rapidly changing gig economy.