The American Dream promised = the american dream was a shared belief and mindset.

Its not so much saying the gig economy was an actor with its own agency, there is an implication that the gig economy was a shared perspective of hope.

I never observed that shared perspective of hope in Uber drivers I rode with, though. It was always a means to an end, not the means to the end. If people thought they were going to end up with a better life, it was because they were finishing their master's degree, or running a software business, or just wanted to stay in the U.S. while their kids got acculturated and educated. Uber was a way to rack up some extra spending money in the meantime. Nobody I've met was under any illusions about their ability to get rich off Uber, except maybe the Uber employees with stock options.

I do think the promise was "easy money on your own time, be your own boss." Something you could do to fill the cracks, without getting a second job. Every uber driver ive ever talked to about it says one of the main reasons they do it is being able to choose when to work.