In this week’s reading “The Informal Media Economy” it touches on the chapter “Work”. In the creative industry, there is a mix of formal, informal companies and employment. The issue in the creative industry is that workers are being underpaid and are being told to work overtime. Besides that, there are creative workers who tend to work as a freelancer which then puts professional workers working full-time down. It devalues their profession since freelancers could complete a certain job in an hour and is being paid for it. Informal modes of media are rising because of the flexibility that the worker can do such as balancing work, leisure and personal life. Studies have shown that workers prefer working in a less routinized environment than a traditional working environment. However, there are problems with working in an informal environment which is unhealthy working conditions, lack of teamwork and more. To make out the best working condition is to have a system where both formal and informalities to coexist. This will help to produce a better quality of work and at the same time rewarding the workers.
I feel that working in an informal environment or as a freelancer should be an experience in the creative industry. I think that most of us have worked in that kind of environment before and there are those that I know prefers working in an informal environment because they feel they can generate their creative juices better even though they get paid late. In the future, I feel that informal working condition will continue to rise, with the advanced technology anyone can work from anywhere they are.
Ramon Lobato & Julian Thomas. (2015). The Informal Media Economy –Work. Polity Press.