Bonding and Bridging Social Capital and Powerlessness Among Location-Based Platform Workers: The Mediating Role of Loneliness in South Korea

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of platform workers in South Korea has risen sharply. These workers, often subjected to algorithmic management and real-time monitoring, face excessive control, limited autonomy, and heightened feelings of powerlessness. Many also work in isolation and competitive environments, making it difficult to form supportive social connections, which increases loneliness. Social capital is a vital resource for mitigating these psychosocial challenges, but its impact varies by type. Bonding social capital, built on close emotional ties, can reduce loneliness and buffer against powerlessness. In contrast, bridging social capital, based on weaker, transactional ties, may worsen these feelings under competitive labor conditions. This study investigates how different types of social capital affect platform workers’ sense of powerlessness and explores the mediating role of loneliness. By addressing the psychosocial vulnerabilities of workers in precarious employment, the study seeks to inform policy and practice aimed at reducing mental health risks and promoting well-being in the platform labor sector.

This study used data from a 2021 national survey of platform workers conducted by Yonsei University to examine how bonding and bridging social capital affect powerlessness and whether loneliness mediates this relationship. Social capital was measured with the Korean version of the Personal Social Capital Scale (PSCS), developed by Chen et al. (2009) and adapted by Kim (2021), with five items each. Powerlessness was assessed using a four-item version of the Mastery Scale (Pearlin & Schooler, 1978), revised by Glavin et al. (2021). Loneliness was measured with a Korean-adapted three-item scale (Hughes et al., 2004). Analyses used SPSS 27.0 and PROCESS Macro Model 4 (Hayes, 2013).

The analysis revealed that bonding social capital did not have a direct effect on powerlessness, but showed a full mediation effect through loneliness. This indicates that bonding capital helps reduce loneliness among platform workers, which in turn lowers their sense of powerlessness. In contrast, bridging social capital had both a direct positive effect on powerlessness and an indirect effect via loneliness, showing a dual pathway. These findings suggest that social capital is not always protective; weak, superficial ties formed through bridging capital may actually intensify loneliness and powerlessness in highly individualized and competitive work environments.

Due to the structural nature of platform work—including algorithmic control, individualized tasks, and limited peer interaction—this study found that social capital influences mental health outcomes differently. Bonding social capital reduced loneliness and powerlessness, while bridging social capital increased both. Based on these findings, the following policy and practice recommendations are proposed. First, a legal framework is needed to protect platform workers from the effects of loneliness and powerlessness caused by platform conditions. Existing laws inadequately reflect these outcomes and should be revised in line with international standards such as ILO conventions. Second, interventions must consider the contrasting roles of social capital. Bonding capital should be strengthened through community programs, while bridging capital requires safeguards—like reducing loneliness and powerlessness—to prevent negative effects. Third, sustainable public-private partnerships are essential to implement mental health programs, supported by incentives like certification systems and tax benefits.