Rotten apples in the Network basket!

Week 4 touches on the change of 'Liquid Labour' in terms of global media business and also immaterial production. Before going into the reading of my choice - Gregg M's Function Creep Communication Technologies and Anticipatory Labour in the Information Workplace - this week, I'd like to briefly run through with you about the conclusion of liquid labour. 

The Aftermath of Change:

Office VS. Home

With all these advanced technologies and solid information network, working at the office is so last year! The trend of working now has shifted into handling office paperwork and client's demands at our favourite couch at home, with a cup of sweetened tea accompanying us. Now that's what we really call enjoying work!

Work VS. Leisure & Personal

The Google example given by Jia Xin's group summarized this point with all the comfy bunk beds, scrumptious meals at the cafeteria, well-equipped gym etc provided at the Googleplex.

Similarly, working has never been this fun! If you see bloggers, they cover fun events as their job scope! Mingling with flutes of champagne, socializing, enjoying performances, getting into free concerts... I wouldn't mind being a workaholic if this is the case!

Fixed VS. Flexible

Now what say you if your working hours starts at 2pm? Or that you work on project based accounts which lasts for only 6 months? Indeed, flexibility is one of the perks with the introductory of liquid labour. If you run an online business, that's even better! You're your own boss!

Centralized VS. Decentralized

Begone hierarchical organizations! Here come the more relaxed, liberal system where the communication networks isn't a downward communication network, but rather, a horizontal or diagonal communication network where one does not need to go through the "Big Boss" to get a message across to another. More interactions! Recall the post office example, guys?

Certain VS. Uncertain

You post a letter out, within days, the probability of that letter ending up in the receiver's hands would be pretty much concrete. But such can't be tied to the Cyberspace network now. Machines can be a tricky thing, they might face mechanical problems, infected with virus and much more damaging problems! It's an unpredictable cycle of the virtual life. *Frowns*

One-place VS. Mobility

Ubiquitous basically sums everything up. Workers are traveling more and getting work done is so much more easier as long as you have certain technologies like smartphones and the iPad and whatnot. 

The example given by of Microsoft in India modifying the workers bus into a mini office is a good one. Or simply, Fay Hokulani where all she basically needs is a phone to call in for her Hitz.fm slot!

A single tool VS. Multiple tools

We don't need to depend only on one gigantic, huge, olden days computer anymore! With such high-tech and minimized devices nowadays, we can access to the virtual world using so many different platforms. From a single mainframe to personalized computers. Distributed computing, guys!

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So now that we've gone through the functions of liquid labour, what about the bad side of it? 'Function Creep Communication Technologies and Anticipatory Labour in the Information Workplace' talks about the side effects of liquid labour which affects the workers of this age. 

What this journal talks about is that liquid labour, despite all of it wonders, does propose challenges for professionals as their workload piles up and they have to work beyond formal paid hours. Also, Gregg mentions that liquid labour gives an impact to the workers as well - anticipatory labour.

Main points touched upon in this journal are "the consequences that arise as a result, including difficulties in maintaining family relationships, using days off to catch up on unfinished tasks, as well as regular interruptions to sleep patterns and other physical ailments."

That being said, several keypoints are separated to provide an easier understanding of the rotten apples (as I like to call them):

• Always On
• Presence Bleed
• The Acceleration of Work
• The Catch-Up Day
• Home Life
• Function Creep

Always On -

Wireless is the new contemporary. Everything is already in our mobile devices - files, phone, appointment schedules - and we're always on the go! But, the workload is intensified. Why? 

It's because mobile technologies have introduced new habits of monitoring, anticipating, checking and filling of sudden emails. And we practice them anywhere, out of office, and most of the time, unpaid. Yes, even in the toilets to your bed or kitchen! 24/7 with your BB, you think you can cope with it?

Presence Bleed -

The context of labour and leisure has become foggier by the minute. Since most work at home, it's difficult to consider what really counts as 'work' and what's 'leisure'. This can be a problem as workers have to be willing to engage in preparatory labour before or after work to smooth the working day that follow so nothing surprising will pop up.

Because we need to prepare for the day, we tend to carry out a staggering amount of checking our emails and this can be quite tiresome, isn't it? It has gone to the extend that during our days off, we'll be spending our time checking our emails to be on top of everything. If we're so anxious about incoming emails, what will happen to our 'Me Time'?

The Acceleration of Work

With these technologies, environmental stress has been growing in workplaces. It is true that with networks, work can be sped up, but this leads to a terrible bad habit when one jut stares fixated at the computer screen. 

I'm sure some of us can relate to this where we're too addicted to the computer that we communicate through MSN or FB Chat even though our peers are sitting just right next to us!

Obsessive much?

The Catch-Up Day -

What would you do when you get a day off? I would spend my time eating or taking a ride down to the beach. But all these are impossible as with liquid labour, work practically dominate our lives. We tend to work intensely, become so paranoid with new work and to keep ourselves "sane", we tend to forget to live a little. This is crucial, especially if you have a family. 

Home = Family = Care = Spending Time Together

This is no longer the case, we're being trapped with liquid labour. Isolating rotten apple taking over not only your life but your loved ones too!

Home Life

Being the prisoner to liquid labour, some would often risk their sleep to catch up on their work. On-call roster workers would have to be on their toes at all times in case of an emergency. One interesting interview carried out by Gregg would give you a better understanding.

"...like I was doing my conference call last night while doing the groceries and driving to the grocery store, and this morning trying to do it on the train with all these people..."

So our home life, or rather personal life, have been invaded by work. So now it's eat, sleep, breathe work. That's a little bit sad, isn't it? How can one live a life like this!

Function Creep

It's funny how at the beginning we see so little work on our plate but as the days go by, suddenly you have a mountain of work piling up and it never does stop! That's work creeping up behind you and scaring the bejesus out of you! 

With online platforms to venture into - blogs, SMS, IM - suddenly having panic attacks over overloading emails isn't really the big problem anymore! On top of heavy email checking, we have to monitor and keep track of our other online "babies" and for some this might be a problem as they're not used to the new platforms!

That's tiring!

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In a rotten nutshell, liquid labour does provide an array of functions (as mentioned at the utmost top) but with so much emails and works intensifying, it's becoming even more burdensome than ever. Imagine the need to monitor your inbox 24/7, even in the shower! This would just led to people going crazy due to anticipatory effect - being super OTT anxious about unknown, incoming work.

Imagine living with paranoia for the whole year round - Autumn, Spring, Summer and Winter - how can you really live with that?! Eventually this insane practice would just start to eat people up internally until you don't even know what was the main purpose of living. 

Sounds scary isn't it? Rotten apples are everywhere!

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Personal Note:

The reason I chose this reading was because since most of us are focusing on the functions of liquid labour, I thought this would be a good reading to educate people at the same time that liquid labour isn't that 100% great at all. Challenges and threats lurks at every corner, and it's a first step to actually acknowledge them. 

Thanks for reading!