Not all labour that organizations benefit from and even rely on is performed by those working for the organization, neither is such labour necessarily paid labour. The so-called online services shift tasks previously carried out by organizations onto the users of the service, the consumers. The same is the case with ‘self-service’ options made available for (or forced upon to) the customers at airports and supermarkets. With the advancement of technology and related cultural practices and values make the possibility of doing free labour ubiquitous, desirable and even ‘necessary’.

For this essay you are to discuss the rise and/or prevalence ‘free labour’ and the ways in which both organizations and those using the services or products produced by them rely on free labour. Drawing from module materials, examine ‘free labour’ through at least one of the following topic areas explored in the module:

– Open source and peer production
– Social networks and network cultures
– Non-work time as commodity
– Mash-ups and remixes

You do not need to discuss all of these topics. You will be assessed on the quality, not quantity of your discussion. Whichever topic you choose, make sure it is substantively different from what you did in the first assignment in terms of topic and content.