The ‘formal-informal’ work model of many media workplaces tend to be glamorised as many media workers suffer from low pay, unpaid overtime, insecurity, and even exploitation. Such working conditions are especially severe for freelancers as the line between flexible and exploitation diminishes.

One may think that this only happens in small, informal businesses however even larger companies employ informal ways of sourcing and treating labour. For instance, a large enterprise who owns a subsidiary site that essentially works, content-wise, off of unpaid or low-paid associates or contributors is one such example. They house the content and make their revenue of the ads or whatnot, while the content is paid with one-off payment, or not at all.

Considering the above, freelancing and working in the media industry appears to be a difficult and taxing field to get into and find sustainable work due to the informal nature of employment, so why do people still go for such jobs? The reading argues that this is because people enjoy working in less structured and formalized ways than before, even the most in-demand employees of today. Another reason is because freelancers have nothing to lose by contributing, it can help build their resume, make connections, lead to something greater etc.

The reading suggests that in order for media industries to minimize exploitation and maximise decent work, there needs to be a formalisation of the recruitment practices, guaranteed basic income, unionisation, policy intervention and so forth. There is much we ask for it seems. “we want the stability of the industrial model as well as the seductive informality of the art, fashion and dotcom worlds; we want state support for workers without paternalistic bureaucracy; 9-5 wages without 9-5 drudgery…”.