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The Conversation
The Conversation
Suchit Ahuja, Assistant Professor, Business Technology Management, Concordia University

Leveraging digital platforms for public good: Stories of positive impact from India

Waste management workers stand outside a waste processing plant in Bengaluru, India. By formalizing the waste collection process, the 'I Got Garbage' digital platform transformed waste workers into micro-entrepreneurs. (Suchit Ahuja), Author provided

Digital platforms such as Uber, Airbnb, WeChat and TaskRabbit have changed the world by creating new economic opportunities through gig work culture and enabling a sharing economy. However, concerns remain about how these platforms may exploit gig workers and customers if driven purely by profit.

While these platforms are great at creating value by bringing buyers, sellers and consumers together, their benefits often don’t transcend to their ecosystem. They have been criticized for their poor social and environmental impacts, exclusionary practices, digital colonialism and surveillance capabilities.

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