Hope Labor: The Role of Employment Prospects in Online Social Production

Authors

  • Kathleen Kuehn Christopher Newport University
  • Thomas F Corrigan California State University, San Bernadino

Abstract

This research introduces 'hope labor' as a motivation for voluntary online social production, defined here as 'un- or under-compensated work carried out in the present, often for experience or exposure, in the hope that future employment opportunities may follow'. Drawing from interviews with SB Nation sports bloggers and Yelp consumer reviewers, this research expands current understandings of the motivations behind online social production. Structurally, we distinguish hope labor from other forms of free labor by emphasizing the temporal relationship between present and future work–a relationship that shifts costs and risks onto the individual. Hope labor is naturalized and normalized through neoliberal ideologies. It is seen as an investment that pays off for individuals based on merit, despite its deleterious impact on employment prospects in desired industries. Our theorization of hope labor can be seen as a complement or corrective to celebratory accounts of meaning making, creativity, and community in online social production.

Author Biographies

Kathleen Kuehn, Christopher Newport University

Kathleen M. Kuehn is currently an Assistant Professor of Communication at Christopher Newport University, although she will shortly be taking up a new position as Lecturer in Media Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research and teaching interests center on the political economy of digital media, cultural production, and critical studies of consumer culture. Her work has been published in journals such as International Journal of Communication, Communication, Culture & Critique, Electronic Journal of Communication, Journal of Information Ethics and Democratic Communiqué.

Thomas F Corrigan, California State University, San Bernadino

Thomas F. Corrigan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, San Bernardino. His research examines the intersections of Political Economy, Digital Media, and Sports Media. His peer-reviewed work has been published in Journalism: Theory, Practice, & Criticism, Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies, International Journal of Sport Communication, and Journal of Sports Media.

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Published

16-05-2013

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2013)

Section

Articles