[iDC] Hector Postigo Introduction
Hector Postigo
hector.postigo at gmail.com
Thu Oct 8 16:47:36 UTC 2009
Hello everyone.
Sorry for the late introduction. I’ve been enjoying the conversations on
the list quite a bit. My name is Hector Postigo and I’ll be meeting many
of you at the upcoming conference. My area of research focuses on
digital media and participatory cultures therein. In the past I’ve
focused on AOL volunteers that sued AOL for back wages following
organizational changes that positioned many of these volunteers to
rethink their place in the behemoth that was AOL. My recent thinking on
the topic has started to center on organizational communication theories
that might help explain why organizational changes lead some of these
communities and the business to which they contribute to develop
adversarial relationships, often ending in acrimony, litigation and
interesting forms of resistance. It's a critical perspective that looks
at the ways people talk about their place in an organization or how that
might communicate organizational goals and how that constructs and
reinforces institutional power flows. Beyond AOL, I’ve also looked at
game modders (fans of digital games that made modifications to the game
and distribute them online for free). I’ve studied modders under
somewhat similar theoretical lenses (free labor and org. comm.) as the
AOL volunteers although there are some important differences and mores
among the communities. All this to note that ongoing interactions
between digital media companies and fan/volunteer/participatory
communities can be fruitful to all parties but that communicational,
organizational and political economic forces can often derail or
negatively shape those collaborations. I hope to see you all very soon
at the conference and continue many of the discussions fleshed out here
on the list.
Hector-
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