Nepal's social media ban exposes gig economy's fragile foundations

The global gig economy employs nearly 200 million people through digital platform-based companies like Uber, Food Panda, Zomato, Oyo and others.

- VENUS UPADHAYAYA

It's also important to note that a significant amount of gig work silently happens on social media platforms like WhatsApp, WeChat, and Facebook. That's where the gig economy gets linked to public unrest whenever there's a social media ban.

So, when Nepal banned 26 social media platforms on September 4 after a week's ultimatum, it was not just about freedom of speech and press freedom. It was also about a loss of livelihood and jobs—particularly in a country where 6.7 percent of the national GDP comes from tourism, i.e., over two billion USD. This means the protests were also indicative of how the gig job sector has silently taken root in the country.

The tourism industry in the Himalayan nation was among the first to capitalize on the growing social media reach, according to the Nepal Economic Forum.

"For us, social media used to be a very popular tool for communication. That's now gone, and it's a nightmare-like situation," Jiban Ghimire, managing director of Shangri-La Nepal Trek, told the New York Times after the protests erupted. "No communication, no business."