Week 8’s task was to reflect on media use in the workplace. There are a number of different types of ethnography, however, ‘media ethnography combines ethnographic methods from traditional participative observation to the tools of netnography (an online research method originating in ethnography which is applied to understanding social interaction) and visual analysis’, (Gianpietro Mazzoleni, pp.739-742).
Today, there are numerous of employers who do not allow for media use in their work environment, however, media use has become quite apparent in everyday work circumstances. With updated technology, employees are using media in their workplace to search for answers on the web or to take photos using their iPhones or tablets to see where the problem needs to be fixed.
My previous job consisted of me travelling to Sydney every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, catching the 7am train from North Wollongong station to Central in Sydney where I worked on the streets and in shopping malls doing fundraising for charities. My given charity was called ‘Taronga Conservation Society’, so I worked on behalf of Taronga Zoo on the breeding and rehabilitation side for our current endangered species. I worked 9am-5:30pm trying to stop pedestrians on the busy streets of Sydney, hoping to inform them of what our conservation society did, and of course, trying to get people to sign up to our charity to give monthly donations to help fund for breeding programs at Taronga.
We used tablets that had a sign-up sheet, for when we convinced strangers to jump on board with us and donate, we would sign them up on our tablets. On the tablet, the sign-up sheet included the people’s names, D.O.B, address, if they are currently employed, email, phone number, then their credit card details or BSB and account number so monthly deductions could take place. This was the only form of technology we used in our work environment as we were sent to different locations every week; we weren’t sitting at a computer desk everyday, we were standing and walking around so we had to hold onto our tablets.
Our tablets could not be used to access any social media such as Facebook or Twitter as they were strictly used for work purposes. We were allowed on our phones at break, but it wasn’t too strict where as is someone caught you, nothing bad would happen. In many ways social media is just another in a long line of workplace distractions – chatty co-workers personal telephone calls or long smoko breaks. Each workplace should have a very clear policy that sets limits on ‘reasonable use’ of internet based facilities that outlines what sort of communications are and are not acceptable. For example, when I was working, if we were standing on our phones for more than 5 minutes not doing the job, we probably would have been fired. My job was not that strict what so ever, but it is common courtesy to someone who employs you; you are expected to do your job and not be standing around doing nothing.
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