Consuming media is no longer merely defined as an enjoyable activity, audiences are recognised as a ‘labour’ in the process. To reflecting to the platform I utilised every day, I screenshot one specific day that could represent my daily social media usage. In the overview of my screen time, I have spent on my phone for 7 hours 49 minutes per day. The longest usage is WeChat, since I need to communicate and share information with my family and friends. The second is Instagram, where I can share my ‘story’, my daily life and thoughts with my friends. It then follows by Redbook (Chinese version of Instagram), Douyin (Tiktok), YouTube, Weibo, QQ Music.
Labour Power – WeChat & Instagram
As interpersonal communication apps, they allow users to free messaging and calling, also a space to post pictures, videos and text with their friend and followers. Dr. Lynn Schofield Clark (2017) defined those action as ‘connective journalism’ in which users could potentially generate political and economic influences. Smythe (2016) affirmed that audience is a kind of commodity that serves to raise questions, can develop a thought that shakes up the heart. When I am discussing the current policies and favourite products, I operated as a free labour to express and amplify the exposure of events and messages. I texted my friend in the chat that “I heard that the new series of lipstick from Chanel has just released, and Lily bought one yesterday, it was super gorgeous. Let’s get one!!” ” I had my dinner in Imperial Treasure, the peking duck there was so delicious. U definitely should try it. ” ” I just finished watching all the episodes of ‘YOU’ and it was so good.” The sentences I sent can potentially communicate positive ideas and viewpoints about certain brands or merchants, which provide values and benefits to capitalism and ruling class.
In the meantime, there are many other accounts that you can follow. When I am browsing the main page of official accounts on WeChat, the sub-posts of their main content always be advertising, or commercial content promoted by brands. As the time I am scrolling the post and stories on Instagram, the personalised promotions appear automatically on the main page or jumped unexpectedly just like you are watching the ads with a subjective conscious. After looking through those commercial content, users may turn their actions from initially purpose of online browsing to online/offline shopping. For example, I seen the ads of body lotion of L’Occitane, after which I realised that I need a body lotion, so I bought it in the end. Moreover, I ‘liked’ the sponsored posts published by my favourite online influencers, this behaviour not only potentially enhance the popularity of the post itself but also the trustworthiness between brand and audiences by seeing the high amount of ‘like’s. Because of sharing desire among users, the main content of social media platforms like Instagram and WeChat are relying on user-generated-content. Every single text or image posted online can be considered as a sort of ‘labour force’ that I or other users paid efforts to maintain a sufficient content for browsing and communications on the capitalised platform.
Personal data and digital capitalism
In order to present more accurate ads and personalised content pushes, platforms often categorise users according to their click preferences and information. So, users’ private information is also collected and managed by capitalist software. I use these social media while also acting as a free labour path for capital, i.e., unconditionally receiving the information they want us to see and unconsciously working for them. Many sociologists recently announced that users’ data need to be protected since it is part of user’s privacy. In my viewpoint, rather than using ‘point-to-multiple’ and standard algorithms system and products, a precisely targeted advertising and product manufacturing could facilitate users more. Moreover, the daily non-noticed user activities are inevitable. The digital economy system is worth to exist in the society and could bring-up fast-paced and higher efficient life.