Cubicle to the hammock? Contemporary work spaces in this leisure and digital age

New work spaces are emerging in physical and virtual domains and with it, an expectation of a new work culture. There is a shift in perception of what counts as a space of productivity. This corporate usurping and appropriation of leisure spaces is becoming visible across different sectors and across the globe, manifesting in technology, industrial, science or/and information parks. Simultaneously, we see corporations embrace and inhabit social and leisure spaces online, such as Blogger, Facebook and Twitter. This is seen as enabling the restructuring of the private-sector model from top-down to a more employee-driven and customer-oriented culture. This paper focuses on this new trend of corporate leisure spaces intended to foster innovation, networks and communication in this global and social media age. It synthesizes online and offline work spaces across geographies. It addresses this new architecting of work spaces and relates it to labor, leisure, innovation and networking in business culture

Digital prosumption labour on social media in the context of the capitalist regime of time

So-called social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Weibo and LinkedIn are an expression of changing regimes of time in capitalist society. This paper discusses how corporate social media are related to the capitalist organization of time and the changes this organization is undergoing. It uses social theory for conceptualizing changes of society and its time regime and how these changes shape social media. These changes have been described with notions such as prosumption, consumption labour, play labour (playbour) and digital labour. The paper contextualizes digital labour on social media with the help of a model of society that distinguishes three subsystems (the economy, politics, culture) and three forms of power (economic, political, culture). In modern society, these systems are based on the logic of the accumulation of power and the acceleration of accumulation. The paper discusses the role of various dimensions of time in capitalism with the help of a model that is grounded in Karl Marx’s works. It points out the importance of the category of time for a labour theory of value and a digital labour theory of value. Social media are expressions of the changing time regimes that modern society has been undergoing, especially in relation to the blurring of leisure and labour time (play labour), production and consumption time (prosumption), new forms of absolute and relative surplus value production, the acceleration of consumption with the help of targeted online advertising and the creation of speculative, future-oriented forms of fictitious capital

Identity and Leisure Time: Aspiration of Muslim Influencers on Instagram

Abstract This paper analyzes the segmentation of identity and aspirations through the discourse of leisure time carried by Indonesian Muslim influencers as a representation of the negotiation efforts of the Muslim middle class society towards the orientation of religious understanding and popular culture within the framework of modernization. The inevitability of differences in religious understanding among these Muslim influencers ultimately influenced them in representing any discourse carried through new media, including leisure time. The neglected leisure time, its neglected role, is one of the determinants of the new style of Muslim identity when this is deliberately exhibited through various social media platforms. This study is important to see the extent of segmentation due to new identities and aspirations through leisure time that these Muslim influencers want to channel massively on social media, especially Instagram. This study was conduct through netnographic studies supported by various available relevant literature. The results of the study indicate that there are two major segmentation trends among Muslim influencers today through discourse on social media, they are committed Muslim influencers and Muslimist influencers, each of which has different identities and new aspirations in leisure time discourse based on contradiction of mutual religious understanding between them.Abstrak Tulisan ini menganalisis segmentasi identitas dan aspirasi melalui wacana waktu luang yang diusung oleh kalangan influencer Muslim Indonesia sebagai representasi atas upaya negosiasi masyarakat kelas menengah Muslim baru terhadap orientasi pemahaman keagamaan dan budaya populer dalam kerangka modernisasi. Keniscayaan atas munculnya perbedaan pemahaman keagamaan diantara para influencer Muslim tersebut pada akhirnya mempengaruhi mereka dalam merepresentasikan setiap wacana yang diusung melalui media baru, termasuk waktu luang. Waktu luang yang perannya seringkali diabaikan, menjadi salah satu penentu identitas gaya baru Muslim menengah saat ini dengan sengaja dipamerkan melalui berbagai platform media sosial. Kajian ini penting dilakukan untuk melihat sejauh mana segmentasi akibat identitas dan aspirasi baru melalui waktu luang yang ingin disalurkan oleh kalangan influencer Muslim tersebut secara masif di media sosial, khususnya Instagram. Kajian ini dilakukan melalui studi netnografi dengan didukung oleh berbagai literatur relevan  yang ada. Hasil dari kajian menunjukkan terdapat dua tren segmentasi besar di kalangan influencer Muslim saat ini melalui pewacanaan waktu luang di media sosial, mereka adalah  committed Muslim influencer dan muslimist influencer dimana masing-masing memiliki perbedaan identitas dan aspirasi baru dalam mewacanakan waktu luang berdasarkan pemahaman keagamaan yang saling kontradiksi diantara keduanya

Lifestyles of Kaliningrad youth

Based on an analysis of leisure and consumer practices of students of two leading Kaliningrad universities, this paper attempts to reconstruct the actual space of Kaliningrad youth lifestyles, as well as to identify and describe groups following these lifestyles in socio-­economic and demographic terms. Five style groups are identified: the party people who prefer to spend their free time in bars and clubs; the hipsters who frequent theatres and lecture halls, whilst being staunch upholders of the consumerist culture promoted via social media; the ‘normal’ young people choosing physical exercise and standard weekend leisure activities; the young adults combining Soviet leisure heritage with creative and do-it-yourself practices; the homebodies opting for stay-at-home entertainment. Drawing on the discussion about the significance of lifestyle for modern society, the author concludes that lifestyles do not replace the usual socio-­economic stratification markers, and their capacity to differentiate youth groups with unequal access to economic and cultural resources of youth is also limited. Youth leisure lifestyles form an independent system of stratification, which partially coincides with existing social boundaries and partially overlaps with them. The main dividing line runs between the young people who can afford to choose from a ‘supermarket of styles’ and those deprived of such an opportunity

Working Paper No. 77, Deconstructing the Kardashian-Based Economy

This inquiry seeks to establish that connections can indeed be made between Thorstein Veblen\u27s contributions towards our understanding of social stratification related to patterns of consumption, and the rise in importance of the Kardashian family. We take Veblen’s seminal and enduring book, The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions [1899] and relate some of the ideas therein to what is being coined herein as a “Kardashian-Based Economy.” By drawing connections between selected ideas that Veblen\u27s advanced, and some of the influences displayed by some members of the Kardashian family on consumer culture, we aim to understand the interplays between social status, consumption patterns, and cultural values in contemporary times. It is noted that through their reality TV shows, along with their ubiquitous presence in various venues on social media, the family name has essentially become synonymous with wealth and excesses in material consumption, effectively embodying principles of a definable and contemporary “leisure class” with influences affecting consumer behavior across the globe. It can be argued that the Kardashian-Based Economy could be associated with what Veblen defined as a type of “conspicuous consumption” that when emulated leads to the emergence of novel social hierarchies. Understanding these relationships helps to shed light on the dynamics of contemporary consumer culture and the plausible influences of high-profile figures—such as the Kardashians

Destination image in travel magazines: A textual and pictorial analysis of Hong Kong and Macau

Based on the analyses of texts and pictures in the top six outbound travel magazines in Mainland China, this article presents an evaluation of the destination images of Hong Kong and Macau as portrayed in 88 travel articles over a three-year period. The results showed that the projected destination images of Hong Kong and Macau were dominated by attributes related to culture, history, and art and leisure and recreation. Hong Kong was often described by image attributes such as places and attractions, shopping, cuisine and food, hotels, and the creative industries. For Macau, history and heritage, places and attractions, gambling, cuisine and food, and hotels were the most often reported. During the study period, Hong Kong and Macau witnessed several significant changes in the image attributes featured in both texts and pictures. These changes were partly influenced by news and events over the period. In this article, implications for destination marketing organizations and directions for future research were suggested

Game Time: Not Too Much, Nor Too Little

The amount of time young adults spend on online gaming has drawn attention from governments and academics. While these concerns posit a spatial separation between the game world and reality, they fail to understand the gaming activity in relation to individuals’ overall life. An alternative framing of gaming as leisure activities can yield greater insight. This research examines the temporal experience and the meaning of playing online games within a community of Chinese full-time college students. Observing their gaming routine, I try to answer: how do college students interpret the time they devote to gaming? In addition, how does the calculation of time for gaming differ from time in the game? Based on the research, I find that although the participants devote a significant amount of time on gaming, they are capable of prioritizing school obligations, making efforts to achieve a balance between work and leisure. Essentially, they regard gaming as a serious leisure and desire better performance through practicing. The findings suggest that the moral panic against online gaming, particularly in the Chinese society, is shaped by the interaction between the central regulation on internet use, the fear-delivering media representation, and the transformative work-leisure relation

Playing in a virtual bedroom: youth leisure in the Facebook generation

The rapidly changing uses of online social networking sites (SNS) have led to moral panics, most notably framed in terms of 'stranger danger'. However, the risks to young people from access to un-mediated content available via SNS, and most particularly to user-generated content is not generally seen as being dangerous. However, adults would not generally consider many of the activities engaged in via SNS as safe were they conducted in the real world. This paper explores the ways in which young people use SNS to mediate complex issues of social identity in a virtual environment

Factors Affecting Saudi Customers’ Attitude Towards Social Media Advertising

Throughout the world, internet usage has increased significantly. Technological developments have resulted in more corporations choosing to use the internet for marketing purposes. Statistics reveal that the number of social media users always increases in line with growth in technology and population increases. Although the population of Saudi Arabia has been steadily rising, there has been minimal awareness of how the internet can be used to advertise products. In light of this, the aim of this study is explore how the existing Saudi Arabian culture shapes social media usage. The key factors mentioned relate to the various cultural and economic transitions that have been witnessed in Saudi Arabia. Secondly, the study aims to find out how the internet can be used to market products and acquire more customers. Lastly, the study wants to investigate the factors that affect social media use in Saudi Arabia. In this study, a qualitative approach was adopted because it enables people to analyse their daily experiences. Purposive sampling was chosen as the method of data collection; this involved interviewing both female and male participants with relevant knowledge. The findings revealed that socialization, leisure, opinions, information, and entertainment were some of the reasons for social media use, with socialization being the major reason. The study also found that people react to social media platforms differently. While some people might only be interested in reading other people's posts, others would comment and even share videos. The research has some limitations, as it does not explain the management of misinformation or how this can be dealt with exhaustively. Nevertheless, the study is significant because it could assist marketers wishing to ensure that their social media advertisements achieve the required outcome, namely attracting the attention of potential consumers. Keywords: Internet, social media advertisement, customers’ attention, technology adaptation, digital marketing, cultural influences

Culturally Relevant Leisure Experiences as Predictors of Intercultural Sensitivity Among Study Abroad Students

Study abroad programs are promoted on the premise that they offer valuable cross-cultural experiences and provide students with desired 21st century skills including global awareness, cross-cultural communications, and intercultural sensitivity (IS); however, simply to send students abroad is not enough to ensure skill development. Rather, there is a need for intentional pedagogy. As Engle and Engle (2004) have suggested regarding IS, the most successful study abroad programs seem to include culturally relevant leisure within the host community. Moreover, the theoretical framework of Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity has suggested the importance of various culturally relevant leisure experiences in assisting students in progressing from the worldview of ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the relationship between participation in culturally relevant leisure during study abroad and IS. Findings suggest importance of leisure engagement in culturally relevant media during study abroad. Pedagogical implications will be discussed