Unable to switch off- Working conditions in Media

When I wake up in the morning I always find myself reaching for my phone. It has now come to the point that I put my alarm on 1 hour before I need to get up in order to hold onto my highly valued browsing time. Social media and media itself consumes my life, and now more than ever my work life. As part of my internship I am creating content for and managing the social media of an event company. I am finding it impossible to switch off from work. Just like every other media professional in the contemporary workforce.

Those who create and consume media are subsequently “living in media” (Deuze, 2009), this is most apparent for media practitioners as their work consequently feeds into their life. This inability to escape diminishes the ability to reach a work-life balance. A study done by Workfront (2015) found that “50% of employees think technology has ruined the modern family dinner because employers/clients demand responses at any hour.” This 24/7 contact that is required by most media employers is due to the nature of media in todays society, constantly demanding comment and content all the time. Dewdney (2014) blames the tight deadlines for those in digital media, which in turn results in long hours and over working. For those working within the media field it is difficult to find balance between work and life, as for most of us we consume as much as we produce.

As media practitioners, we have a broad understanding of opinions as we act on social media on behalf of clients as well as representing ourselves. But how do we stay objective on our own social media accounts? Lately in the media, journalists have been discussed in relation to how they negotiate public and private on social media. The emergence of the Twitter hashtag #letthemstay has resulted in questions for journalists as to whether they are showing their own advocacy views or reporting objectively as a reporter. In today’s society and with the prominent influence of digital media, media practitioners must be aware of their social media presence and what they are and are not advocating. It has become evident that there has been an “ongoing struggle to differentiate between professional and personal aspects” (Hanusch, 2016) on journalists Twitter feeds. However, it is important for journalists to “present a personal as much as a professional persona” (Hanusch, 2016), as Twitter has become such a powerful professional tool.

The advances in technology in the 21st century have meant that individuals “either choose to, or are forced to, earn their livelihood working on lots of small “gigs” rather than being employed full- or part-time” (Davis, 2015). This economy is coined as the ‘gig’ economy. Many media practitioners are working in this sort of environment, always looking for the next thing. Deuze (2009) comments that contemporary work styles, especially in the media sees “permanent staff(s) quickly diminish (es), as casualization of the labor force increases,” in turn causing “working terms and conditions (continue) to deteriorate.” The ‘gig’ economy does focus on entrepreneurism and allows for autonomy and individual content creation but does however create an “isolation of one’s individual creative endeavours” (Deuze, 2009). There can, however, be a downside to flexibility as its nature “spells the rise of an anxious, disenfranchised workforce glued to their smartphones or laptops, waiting for the next gig to materialise” (Davis, 2015).

Individuals within media have now become “responsible for negotiating, securing, and maintaining their own support structures…(meaning they) cannot turn anywhere for help” (Deuze, 2015). This is why it is so important to be seen as your own “enterprise as an individual rather than organisational or firm-based attribute” (Du Gay, 1996). Deuze (2009) argues that this shift of enterprise- with its relation to efficiency, productivity, empowerment and autonomy from “the company to the individual employee, becomes part of the professional identity.” Deuze (2009) explains that this shift towards individualisation is a “direct managerial attempt to regulate professional identity as a form of organisational control.” Whilst this may seem like a positive change, it can also be seen as organisations completely removing any sort of blame for individual activity, even when the individual has been hired by the organisation. This could result in a lack of care of employees and subsequent decrease in working conditions.

This focus on the individual within these creative industries such as the media landscape indicates the push towards entrepreneurism and enterprise. As individuals we are given power over our own work ethic, work experiences and outcomes. Therefore the traits of media professionals need to be in line with those of an entrepreneur. Nguyen (2015) explains the 10 traits of the Most Innovative Entrepreneurs, with such inclusions as understanding the creative process, being diligent minded, paradoxical thinking and being obsessive note-takers.

The working conditions of media practitioners are ever evolving. Largely influenced by the strength of social media and the Internet itself, media work will follow a similar path. Distinctions between work and life are becoming blurred, as we are all content creators producing and consuming media all the time. Without constant reflection and re-evaluating situations it will be easy to become overwhelmed. As individuals we are responsible for creating our mark on the media landscape and building our own legacy, whether it is with or without the support or guidance of an organisation.