The shift toward Post-Fordist immaterial labour in the information economy was originally hailed as bringing more flexibility for workers and freeing them from tight control by bosses. At the same time, this shift has resulted in the rise of precarious gig work and the primacy of unstable short-term contracts. Using examples of new working arrangements in the digital economy, develop an evaluative argument about the benefits, problems, and/or possibilities that these new internet-enabled flexible working conditions might have for workers, media producers, or businesses.
Introduction
The global labor market experiences a growing popularity of a shared economy. Such growth points to the need for the global workforce to consider the increasing options, which they can utilize to earn a living. The markets provide support for freelancing and contract-based employment opportunities. People tap into this pool voluntarily rather than because of the crises that arise from the lack of formal employment opportunities. In fact, the shift toward Post-Fordist immaterial labor in the information economy was originally hailed as bringing flexibility to workers, including freeing them from the earlier tight control by employers. People anticipated this situation to be an incredible benefit since they would acquire the power to make decisions on their work schedules. However, this shift has resulted in the rise of precarious gig work and the primacy of unstable short-term contracts. As the paper reveals, the outcome is an array of benefits, problems, and/or possibilities arising from the new Internet-enabled flexible working conditions.
Merits and Demerits of Internet-Enabled Flexible Working Conditions
Workers, media producers, or businesses face benefits that accrue from the Internet-enabled flexible working atmosphere. However, they also encounter various problems while working in such environment. For example, workers who deal with modding or digital computer game modification have the freedom to choose their work schedules. Kücklich asserts, “Modding shares some traits with voluntary work as well, as it is neither motivated directly by financial motives or coercion.” This observation implies that modding workers enjoy flexibility while working in a digital gig economy. Such workers can voluntarily consider modifying games while working at home alongside undertaking other chores such as pursuing their passionate projects. Thus, they can engage in parallel activities while still generating enough financial resources to cater for their bills.
Secondly, the gig digital economy provides an array of options. It offers numerous inroads to various career paths. For example, modding workers can productively engage in a number of individualized contract arrangements as a mechanism for developing a new set of skills. This opportunity has the merit of developing a multi-skilled micro work economy in the digital industry. Thus, all people who wish to become multi-tasked computer game modifiers can undertake the challenge, irrespective of their socio-economic status, gender, or nationality, in a manner that is unique to each person. Most importantly, modding workers can accomplish this goal without having an inventory of academic papers to prove their skill sets, provided they deliver on their chores. Kücklich supports this assertion by adding that modding workers in a digital economy utilize the sense of community developed through experience as their primary source of motivation. Arguably, this motive is instrumental in various types of voluntary work. However, modding is well aligned with highly profitable entities while voluntary work is usually associated with non-profit-making agencies.
Thirdly, the gig digital economy provides modding workers with the benefit of safety cushions. Modders no longer have to scramble to secure job interviews, a situation that is commonplace in traditional employment arrangements. They have higher quality and varied options of sealing unemployment gaps through temporary individualized contracts with game companies. Indeed, Webster asserts, “the rising options for on-demand gig-style employment can take some of the stress out of job searching” (58). This opportunity cushions employees by providing an opportunity to choose and committing their time to attain sustainable incomes. Personal projections about the future of the individualized contract provide an opportunity for considering one’s best fit in a new contract.
Although the gig Internet-based economy provides benefits to modding workers, it also presents some challenges. The modding industry, as it is the case with the entire games sector, depicts gaming as a technology that encourages mass participation by all interested game modifiers. This ideology makes modding as a gig Internet-enabled work precarious (Kücklich). It presents uncertainties regarding various traditional notions and the understanding of work and leisure. Modders can interpret their utilization of leisure by working for a parallel client as good use of their time. Nevertheless, the move deprives them of their intellectual property. In fact, the intellectual property concerning modified game workers does not belong to the modder, but the original maker (Kücklich).
The advantages associated with on-demand Internet-enabled work platforms, including modding, such as low entry barriers are accompanied by demerits that include minimal exit opportunities. An individualized contract in a gig Internet-supported work economy lacks adequate security. This situation, which creates the possibility of sudden drying up work, occurs where reviews about a given online worker are provided publicly and freely on an Internet-enabled platform. Continuous monitoring of workers based on their frequency of accessing the Internet provides an opportunity for employers to choose their prospective recruits selectively. Such bosses also have a unilateral power to accept or reject an already completed work, a situation that exposes employees to high job pressure. The gaming industry presents an even larger risk. A games application can get out of the market due to funding issues, litigation, new competitors, and/or unprecedented fall in demand among other economic factors.
New Internet-enabled flexible working conditions present the problem of failing to accord workers the protection they deserve. Individualized contracts imply that safeguarding methods that are available under the traditional work arrangement do not exist in an on-demand work plan. For example, full-time workers enjoy protection benefits, including disability leave, sick day pay, and workers’ compensation. Individualized contract workers in an Internet-enabled work environment lack adequate capacity to negotiate contractual terms with employers (Webster 59).
Conclusion
Although flexible work arrangements in an Internet-enabled gig economy present a high risk compared to full-time or part-time conventional work settings, merits such as independence and flexibility compel modding workers to embrace a gig economy. Nevertheless, problems that include lack of intellectual property for modified games remain a necessary concern for modding workers.
Works Cited
Kücklich, Julian. “Precarious Playbour: Modders and the Digital Games Industry.” Fibreculture Journal, vol. 25, no. 1, 2005, Web.
Webster, Juliet. “Microworkers of the Gig Economy: Separate and Precarious.” New Labor Forum, vol. 25, no. 3, 2016, pp. 57-64.