å Monday, October 5th, 2015

Ross uses the example of television show contestants to explain that media’s use of exploiting the efforts of amateurs for little or no compensation is not a practice new, or limited to, new digital media. Old media television has used the premise of contests to avoid paying professional actors. These reality based television shows, whether they be cooking, singing, dancing, quiz, or “reality living” themed are thinly disguised 30-60 minute scripted commercials, the contestants unpaid except (perhaps a very small handful win a prize) the chance for notoriety for post-show ventures, similar to the “compensation of reputation” of online freelancers. This is not a recent development either, as TV game shows and other reality based shows like COPS with low production value but high revenue return have been around for decades.

Online, businesses do similar acts to entice amateurs to engage in work without compensation by similarly holding contests or making the efforts seem like fun, therefore giving the illusion that it is not “work.” It is more often that the laborer does not know or think of themselves as a laborer, engaging in the given task as a fun puzzle, a task designed to engage professionals when they are not at work, or is completed by an out-of-work professional engaging to keep their skills sharp. This is known as crowdsourcing and this type of distributed labor is cast out wide to many individuals by behind the scenes content hosts and data miners looking for wage-free production. The work is spread thin so that any one person’s efforts does not directly affect the outcome, nor does the laborer necessarily understand the planned outcome, though the unseen coordinating manager does and uses many pieces to make a full finished product, the results of crowding together the small efforts of many individuals

These concepts of giving labor without realizing it can be contrasted with the devices on which making these online efforts so easy. The production of the electronic devices, from phones to tablets, are made in China by people who are also being exploited and manipulated into working for a pittance. These all inclusive factories have eliminated competition by completing all aspects of production and have moved to the most rural areas of the country so that there are no other jobs available or competition for better working conditions. Similar to freelancers of the creative sector given the opportunity to work for free or not work at all, at least the freelancers can try to work to make a name for themselves, something the electronics factory workers of China do not have the option to do.

In his definition of feminization of labor, Ross states women are inherently more likely to take on more work in the white-collar, no-collar, unpaid internship role because the around the clock efforts of these jobs are similar to the work schedule of a housewife. A housewife’s duties generally have no distinction between keeping home (working) and being at home (not working). As the duties of keeping home do not hold the traditional hours of an office, a housewife’s tasks take place both day and night intermingled with every day’s pleasures. So therefore, in attempt to explain feminization of labor, Ross implies that by simply being women they are attuned and inclined to the work-ethic of having no clear distinction between work time and leisure time, compared to their male counterparts. While I personally find this connection to be assumptious and furthering the gendered divide, there is no denying that the majority (77% according to Ross’s research) of unpaid internships are held by women in which their efforts exceed the formal model of a 5-day, 40 hour work week. Perhaps it would be better to examine the reasoning behind the gendered imbalance by interpreting women’s extra efforts in the workplace as striving to disprove discriminating assumptions of being the inferior sex, working harder than male counterparts to dispel gendered inequality but consequently creating a new gendered assumption that women are more readily open to being exploited in their effort and time in the new mobile labor sector.

In addition to the feminization of the creative industries, like those in tech and corporate American unpaid internships, another feminization of labor is taking place in the physical workforces that produce the electronic devices for upon which creative industries utilize. Ross explains that these factories that create devices in countries like China are employed almost fully by rural female teenagers receiving little compensation for long work hours. The remote locations of the factories partnered with little competition of other work and few opportunities for women in general, make possible the exploitation of this class of women.

Amateur Economy

In the section titled “Computers are not to blame,” Ross discusses the fact that digital media is not the only area where volunteer or “amateur economy” benefits big business. The practice of using free labor as a business model was adopted by the television industry back in the 1980s. When faced with loss of revenue from the competition of cable channels, networks started producing more game shows and reality television. The general public flocked to participate on many of these shows whether it was to win money on shows like “Who Want’s to be a Millionaire?” or to have their 15 minutes of fame on shows like “Big Brother”, however degrading some of the situations were. Networks quickly realized that these shows cost a fraction of what a scripted television show using union writers and actors cost, and these shows began to proliferate on the airwaves. Reality TV shows are so inexpensive to produce that most make their money back after the first showing of an episode. Ross also points out that anyone who watches these shows can see that there actually is a “script” of sorts. What is meant to seem completely spontaneous, is actually quite often practiced, carefully plotted and achieved with multiple takes. But the producers are able to keep from hiring writers by hiding behind the façade that their shows are “real” and there is no writing taking place. Unfortunately, professional actors and writers are the “biggest losers” in the amateur economy, losing jobs as fewer scripted shows are produced.

In the “amateur economy” of the digital age, amateur bloggers, reviewers and commentators work without the expectation of monetary payment. Like the networks and TV producers of reality shows, the websites reap all of the profits while the talent works for free.