Recently, there is a viral news in Indonesia about Babi Ngepet that being caught by citizen in one village and the people in there believe that the Babi Ngepet is the culprit for the reason they are lose their money.

Babi Ngepet is a mystique figure that Indonesian citizen believe as a sinful or ‘dirty’ way to get money. Practically, the myth says that someone could change in to a pig to stole the money from the citizen in that village by spelling some spell words using  the candle as a tool to help. But the other person should keep the candle always on during the process so the people who are becoming pig is not turning in to human and the other citizen would not be knowing who is the culprit.

Basically, they do it at night so it will be dark and people would not see them. Seems not make sense to you? Yeah, most people in here also do not believe in such thing anymore. Although, some peoples in rural area or in the village still believe in this mystique figure.

As soon as the news went viral, the media also keep the update about this news because it attracts a lot of attention. Some people believe its true, but most of the people believe its just a hoax. Finally, the police find that the Babi Ngepet thing is just a hoax created by some people to get famous.

They made up the story about Babi Ngepet, so when people believe on their story, they can get more people trust them as great persons to follow. Besides the main story about Babi Ngepet before the police revealing that its just a hoax there is an old woman stated to the media that she is knowing who is the person behind Babi Ngepet.

She believes that the culprit might be her neighbour because she always sees that her neighbour is always home but have a lot of money and living an expensive life style. This statement from old lady also went viral, but as soon as the police confirm that the Babi Ngepet is just a hoax this lady also comes up with her apologized to the citizen about her statement.

The story above is just one interesting story that happen in the public eye. We cannot deny because of technology now we can work and make money everywhere we desire. We have a lot of tools online that make us not have to go outside our home (e.g office, seminars, etc) to have money.

These phenomena happen especially because of the pandemic. We need to survive without make the pandemic condition worse so we need to use our brain to make money without have to go out from our home. Example we can trade the crypto or bit coin to gain a profit from money that we have. Or we can be a graphic designer, made the sample on the laptop inside a coffee shop and send to the client by e-mail and get the money from it. The world that we living right now it called the gig economy. In this article let’s talk about gig economy further.

In a gig economy, temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies tend to hire independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees. A gig economy undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who often focus on their career development. In a gig economy, large numbers of people work in part-time or temporary positions or as independent contractors. The result of a gig economy is cheaper, more efficient services, such as Uber or Airbnb, for those willing to use them. People who don’t use technological services such as the Internet may be left behind by the benefits of the gig economy. Cities tend to have the most highly developed services and are the most entrenched in the gig economy.

A wide variety of positions fall into the category of a gig. The work can range from driving for Lyft or delivering food to writing code or freelance articles. Adjunct and part-time professors, for example, are contracted employees as opposed to tenure-track or tenured professors. Colleges and universities can cut costs and match professors to their academic needs by hiring more adjunct and part-time professors.

America is well on its way to establishing a gig economy, and estimates show as much as a third of the working population is already in some gig capacity. Experts expect this working number to rise, as these types of positions facilitate independent contracting work, with many of them not requiring a freelancer to come into an office. Gig workers are much more likely to be part-time workers and to work from home.

Employers also have a wider range of applicants to choose from because they don’t have to hire someone based on their proximity. Additionally, computers have developed to the point that they can either take the place of the jobs people previously had or allow people to work just as efficiently from home as they could in person.

Economic reasons also factor into the development of a gig economy. Employers who cannot afford to hire full-time employees to do all the work that needs to be done will often hire part-time or temporary employees to take care of busier times or specific projects. During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, the gig economy has experienced significant increases as gig workers have delivered necessities to home-bound consumers, and those whose jobs have been eliminated have turned to part-time and contract work for income. Employers will need to plan for changes to the world of work, including the gig economy, when the pandemic has ended.

Despite its benefits, there are some downsides to the gig economy. While not all employers are inclined to hire contracted employees, the gig economy trend can make it harder for full-time employees to develop in their careers since temporary employees are often cheaper to hire and more flexible in their availability.

Workers who prefer a traditional career path and the stability and security that come with it are being crowded out in some industries. For some workers, the flexibility of working gigs can actually disrupt the work-life balance, sleep patterns, and activities of daily life. Flexibility in a gig economy often means that workers have to make themselves available any time gigs come up, regardless of their other needs, and must always be on the hunt for the next gig. Competition for gigs has increased during the pandemic, too. And unemployment insurance usually doesn’t cover gig workers who can’t find employment (the CARES Act made an exception during the pandemic).

In effect, workers in a gig economy are more like entrepreneurs than traditional workers. While this may mean greater freedom of choice for the individual worker, it also means that the security of a steady job with regular pay, benefits—including a retirement account—and a daily routine that has characterized work for generations are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

Lastly, because of the fluid nature of gig economy transactions and relationships, long-term relationships between workers, employers, clients, and vendors can erode. This can eliminate the benefits that flow from building long-term trust, customary practice, and familiarity with clients and employers.

It could also discourage investment in relationship-specific assets that would otherwise be profitable to pursue since no party has an incentive to invest significantly in a relationship that only lasts until the next gig comes along. Besides the benefit and criticism we should accept that in the world we are living right now being in office from 9 to 5 is not the only way to get the salary.

Gig workers already prove it to us by gaining money without need to have a formal office. So if you find your neighbour is having a lot of money but just stay at home daily that doesn’t meaning she or he have Babi Ngepet but might be she or he one of the successful gig worker.