Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

The Gig Economy… currently, one of my favorite buzzwords (not), along with Blockchain (not).

According to a McKinsey & Company report from almost two years ago (and that’s a lifetime these days), 20 to 30 percent of working age adults in the United States and Europe spend all or part of their work week as part of the Gig Economy. That’s over 160 million people.

The report also notes that technology improvements are primarily responsible for driving innovation and creating new jobs for people like Uber drivers, Etsy entrepreneurs, and YouTube channel stars, among others. Yet it also notes that only 15 percent of “independent workers”, as they call them, are actively engaged on digital platforms as a part of earning their income. I find that 15 percent number to be suspect, and for what it’s worth, I’m thinking it must be much higher than that.

Anyway, this is a diabetes blog, and you’re probably wondering what the heck this has to do with diabetes. Does the Gig Economy have anything to do with diabetes at all? The answer, as in so many things, is Yes and No.

Look, there are many people working independently to improve the lives of people living with diabetes. There are people working independently to create and maintain their own closed loop AP system. There are those working on better products, better apps for us to help track our diabetes. I even know people who did crowdsourcing to help fund their book launch. Heck, I’m blogging independently, and that certainly seems like work sometimes.

The thing is though, almost everyone involved in diabetes-specific independent work is doing it for absolutely no money at all. We’re performing the Gig without the Economy. I don’t mind that so much myself, but it’s also why it’s been quite a while since I agreed to write for a company-sponsored website. If I’m going to work for free (like I do here), I’m going to do what I like, when I like doing it.

Those DIY #OpenAPS experts? They’re not taking the time to set up and maintain their systems so they can make some extra money. They’re doing it for quality of life, for themselves, and their families. And frankly, some are helping others do the same thing without ever seeing an extra dime.

Because diabetes, despite all the technological advances of the past 15 years, still relies on the individual for success. We can’t farm the work out to someone else to do in the evening or on weekends, or when we’re sick or we’re on vacation. We can’t hire anyone to insert a CGM sensor or count carbs or inject insulin. Oh, if only we could. We could make a fortune moonlighting, while others could unplug for a much-needed rest.

To the extent we’re involved in the Gig Economy at all, for most of us, it’s so we can earn a little extra in order to afford supplies, drugs, or a trip to a conference that allows us to learn and grow and spend time with others like ourselves.

You see, we already have a gig. It’s called staying alive. Our economy revolves around getting enough money put together to be able to afford to stay alive. We’re good at our gig because we have to be. We work hard at it so we can maintain a life, not build a lifestyle.