When what you want is full-time work with benefits, and all of the fixed schedule commitment and expectation of "you will always show up at a given time for a specified duration" stability that comes with that, then gig work seems like a major step down and even a cynical plot by corporations to deprive you of something you think you should rightfully have. But when what you want is gig work and all of the flexibility that comes with that, and there are many people who want this and have wanted it for years - even decades before the so-called gig economy became a buzzword- then gig work is perfect and irreplaceable.

There are some niches that have operated under the gig work model for almost 100 years, such a certain sectors of trucking where drivers own their own rigs and specifically choose to enter that line of work, as opposed to a salaried job where they don't have to worry about maintaining their own vehicle, precisely because they want the ability to simply switch their (very well-paid 6 figure minimun) job off like a light when they feel like it, for a couple of weeks or a couple of months or longer, and then switch it back on.

I personally know a guy who has performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for almost 20 years doing exactly this. he's a trucker with his own rig and his own schedule on his own terms for 6 months out of the year, and tours with the orchestra for the other 6 months. This type of lifestyle would not be possible if there was no established gig system available for people who wished to have that flexibility.