As we have over the past few summers, we are sharing a directive with volunteers. The term “directive” comes from Mass Observation, the British project that inspired EDLM. It’s a prompt that invites you to think about (and write about) a topic or topics. This year we are asking you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences concerning two separate issues: work and online activity. We’re also interested in the ways in which these two things intersect, if they do.
As always, feel free to use your creativity in describing the roles work and online activity play in your everyday life. You can write your directive out as an essay (or as two essays), as a set of disjointed observations, or any other way you like. You do not need to answer the questions below in order (though you may do so if you wish). Feel free to discuss the overlap between the two topics. Don’t let the questions limit what you share, but do try to answer them all, in one way or another, in your response.
Here is the Directive. We’d like to have your responses by July 15th, but we will take them whenever you get them.
Work
Of your everyday activities, what do you define as “work”? In your mind, what differentiates “work” from other activities? (For instance, you may or may not think of unpaid activities such as housekeeping or caregiving as work. Let us know your ideas about what counts as work.)
With this open definition in mind, what is the role of work in an ordinary day for you? (If you wish, describe the work you do in a typical day.)
How do you feel about your work?
Online Life
What roles does online activity play in your daily life?
Discuss briefly the extent and the ways in which you do the following online:
Work
Play
Socialize
Seek information
Seek entertainment
Engage in other activities
How do you feel about the time you spend online?