Digital irresponsibility in the gig economy: insights from a mixed-methods study

Purpose Present study examines how corporate digital irresponsibility (CDI) contributes to self-regulatory failure among online food delivery workers. Self-regulatory failure is operationalised through two outcomes, namely burnout and risky driving behaviour. Drawing on psychological contract theory and the job demands-resources framework, the study investigates the mediating role of psychological contract breach and the dual moderating role of technostress. Design/methodology/approach A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. Survey data from 342 food delivery workers were analysed using structural equation modelling, followed by semi-structured interviews with 25 workers to contextualise and validate the quantitative patterns. Findings All three CDI dimensions (digital surveillance, automated injustice and algorithmic opacity) positively predict psychological contract breach, with digital surveillance as the strongest predictor. Breach subsequently predicts both burnout and risky driving behaviour, establishing self-regulatory failure as a critical consequence of CDI. Technostress amplifies both the CDI-breach and breach-outcome relationships. Furthermore, the qualitative findings explain how these mechanisms interact to foster chronic exhaustion and unsafe driving practices among delivery workers. Practical implications The findings provide important implications for platform companies to redesign algorithmic management and digital governance practices. Further, important implications for policymakers are provided to strengthen occupational safety protections and regulatory frameworks for gig workers. Originality/value The study makes an important contribution by empirically linking CDI to self-regulatory failure, identifying psychological contract breach as the mediating mechanism and technostress as a multi-stage vulnerability amplifier in digitally managed platform work.