A former factory worker finds new work online

Sergey (37) used to work in a Kharkiv factory. Now, he works as a taxi driver.

"When the factory closed down, I downloaded a taxi app and started driving. I like driving with the app, because you get decent clients. I rarely have to deal with drunken people or other nuisances. You need a smartphone and you have to register on the app – that influences the type of customer you get. Many people are still used to ordering a taxi via telephone.

A day without Internet is hard to imagine. I use it to watch movies, for shopping and work. When I have a problem with my car, I watch a tutorial on YouTube on how to fix it."

The #speakup barometer is a DW Akademie project that examines the connection between digital participation, freedom of expression and access to information. Learn more at www.dw.com/barometer