AIMTech Seminar: Studying Work Online: Insights into changes in working arrangements, studying a digital platform, and conducting longitudinal research
Speaker: Prof Steve Sawyer, Syracuse University's School of Information Studies
Date: 13/02/2024 12.00-13.00
Location: Online
Organiser: University of Leeds
Abstract
Drawing on four years of data from an ongoing, longitudinal, panel-based study, in this talk I will focus on the ways in which online labor platforms are reshaping work and working. This is both framed and motivated by three ongoing changes to the economy: (1) pervasive reliance digital connectivity - and the shift from digital systems to digital infrastructures - that are reshaping both the structures of work and labor markets; (2) the shift to knowledge-based and cognitively-demanding work that relies on abstractions, technical skills, and collaborative problem-solving as the locus of economic value; and, (3) changes in expectations of employment from the career, to the job, to the project or task. The discussion of findings will focus on the changes we are seeing in how online workers conceive of their career trajectory, outline the realities of studying digital platforms (that are often disinterested in being studied), and reflect on some of the lessons learned from pursuing longitudinal research.
About the speaker
Steve Sawyer is on the faculty of Syracuse University's School of Information Studies and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of the Association of Information Science and Technology. Steve's research focuses on the changing forms of work and organizing enabled through uses of information and communication technologies. This is done through detailed field-based studies of information-intensive work. Steve is also active in advancing sociotechnical approaches to studying computing, collectively known as social informatics. This work is published in a range of venues and supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, IBM, Corning, and other sources. Before returning to Syracuse, Steve was a founding faculty member of the Pennsylvania State University's College of Information Sciences and Technology. He earned his Doctorate from Boston University in 1995.