CERIC Anniversary Webinars: Datafication of the Labour Process

Dr Xanthe Whittaker presents a study of newspaper journalism.

Watch this webinar here.

Abstract

Data, it is widely argued, has become a key strategic resource for organizations, with digital data and its use in data science techniques and analytics changing the way organizations are managed and decisions are made. Data collection, management and processing are central to these developments and are likely to increasingly influence the future of work; how it is undertaken and workers managed. This presentation draws on ethnographic research in a national newsroom to show the role of data analytics in the changing organization of work and on the work practices and experiences of journalists. Building on discussions of technology and workplace relations, I argue that data embeds the normative within the technical-rational to become the site of both normative controls and contestation. As workplaces become more datified, these are likely to become considerations for all actors in the employment relation.

Presenter

Dr Xanthe Whittaker is a post-doctoral Research Fellow in CERIC.

Her research focuses on change and continuity in the nature of work. She draws on feminist and classical Marxist frameworks to analyse the political choices and social relations of organizational and technological change in the labour process. Her most recent research is an in-depth analysis of the possible effects of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies on the employment sector.

This webinar will be recorded and chaired by Professor Mark Stuart.