Emily Turnage
Gamification of Social Media
For this week’s blog, I’m going to get into the good and the bad of Uber, a company that’s rapidly replacing taxis and public transport in metropolitan areas, and is even gaining ground outside of them. Uber seems to be the target of a lot of controversy as of late - with their breaking of the taxi strike in New York after the travel ban was put in place, to accusations of racism and sexism by its drivers.
First, the bad - in an article on Alternet.org, a study details that “Uber drivers in Boston have a pattern of prejudice against black and female riders.” The study goes on to show that the drivers are twice as likely to cancel a ride if the customer has a black-sounding name, and likely to drive women on longer, more expensive routes as well. This sort of discrimination, though it is human in nature and not completely incorrigible, should absolutely be given a zero-tolerance policy by the company. If a driver is known to cancel rides fairly often, and those rides have a common element - requested by women and people with nonwhite sounding names, then that driver should be punished appropriately, with either suspension or loss of their Uber driving privileges. The same goes for routes taken, although this is less easy to track as cancelled rides. In order for Uber to maintain its station as a distinctly modern service, it needs to eschew the prejudices that plague it currently and make a concerted effort towards equal treatment and support of their userbase. That being said, not all Uber drivers are at fault; a story on the SFGate site details “How an Uber driver stopped child sex trafficking in Elk Grove”. The Uber driver called police when a young girl - estimated to be twelve years of age by the driver - was being groomed for sex work by two older women also present in the car. Though Uber does not train its drivers in dealing with these sort of situations, it was a heroic move by the driver and his actions have been commended by the company; it is stories like this that Uber must set its precedent by, and addressing the claims of racism and sexism mentioned previously would do a great deal towards maintaining this standard.
3 Comments
3/9/2017 10:40:36 pm
Good article. I'm about to begin writing about Uber myself, so it was great to read your blog post. I'm curious: in regards to Uber's drivers reportedly driving women for longer distances, do you know if there is any system in place for Uber to mandate its employees to drive the shortest (or quickest) route, no matter the passenger's gender or race? I think that would be a great solution to one of Uber's long list of current issues.
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3/11/2017 02:40:10 pm
Hi Emily,
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5/8/2017 05:24:52 pm
I have been aware of the controversy in Uber. I use these transportation apps quite frequently and when I heard about the CEO of Uber being a Trump supporter, I decided to look into the company. I found that Uber does not require background checks from their employees, making it easier for sexual predators and criminals to obtain a job with Uber. I have heard stories of sexual assault from Uber drivers and this is just unfortunate. As a result of this unsettling news, I now only use Lyft when I am in need of transportation. Lyft is a great alternative because they do background checks, unlike Uber. It makes me feel safer in a car alone or even with a friend.
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AuthorI am a senior studying Communication Design, with an emphasis in Game Design. I like playing video games, writing, and yelling too loudly about things I care about. Archives
May 2017
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