Reading response question for “Free Labor”:
“In the overdeveloped countries, the end of the factory has spelled out the obsolescence of the old working class, but it has also produced generations of workers who have been repeatedly addressed as active consumers of meaningful commodities. Free labor is the moment where this knowledgeable consumption of culture is translated into productive activities that are pleasurably embraced and at the same time often shamelessly exploited.”

Terranova’s essay was written in 2000. Yet much of what she states about free labor still pertains to the present moment.

Define the following terms used in the essay and give examples of how each term still exists in 2007:
knowledge worker: As used in the essay, a knowledge worker is someone who engages in work that is not typically considered “work,” or whose work is primarily immaterial and intangible rather than physical. A knowledge worker’s work is conceptual, based on ideas or social processes. The end results of their work may not come in forms that are ordinarily associated with work, or are not directly quantifiable in the same way other products are. An example of a knowledge worker could be a blogger. While they may not necessarily be compensated for their work, they are contributing to the collective intelligence of the internet.

gift economy: A gift economy is an economy based on the free exchange of information and other assets. Items are exchanged without want for reimbursement or other gain. It is based more on the idea of benefiting the group as a whole rather than the individual. An example of the gift economy could be Wikipedia. Individually, users can contribute and edit entries within the encyclopedia. The efforts of the individuals benefit the encyclopedia as a whole. Other users can then use the articles created and edited by the efforts of the community, and further benefit from the project.

free labor: Free labor is the “muscle” behind the creation and distribution of assets. Free labor is, by definition, unpaid work, which fits into the “gift economy” in the way that it is freely created and shared. Free labor workers do what they do out of a sense of personal duty or fulfillment, and for the good of the community, rather than for monetary gain. An example of a free labor worker could be someone with a personal website. They can use this platform to convey and share any information they choose, which benefits the internet as a whole through the contribution of new information. They are considered “free labor” if they are not compensated for their efforts, which is often the case. They do what they do out of personal interest rather than for personal gain.