Algorithmic management in the platform economy: a Spar-4 systematic review of control, autonomy and resistance

Across the world, especially in the Global South, algorithms are quietly stepping into the role of managers, deciding who works, how they work, and under what conditions. This SPAR-4-SLR review brings together 62 peer-reviewed studies from 2019 to 2025 to explore how algorithmic management is reshaping gig work. Through bibliometric mapping and thematic coding, it traces five core theoretical lenses: the autonomy-control paradox, labour-process theory, Foucauldian governmentality, digital Taylorism, and collective-voice theory. The review uncovers growing technostress, data opacity, and burnout, along with a rising resistance from workers through forms of algo-activism. However, there are significant gaps, including those related to long-term health consequences, the experiences of people in the Global South, and the nature of ethical governance. This review shows how theoretical perspectives relate to the lived realities of workers and provides a foundation for future research, policy framing, and platform design.