Gaming–playing on social media: using the psychoanalytic concept of ‘playing’ to theorize user labour on Facebook

an article by Jacob Johanssen (University of Westminster, UK) published in Information, Communication & Society Volume 21 Issue 9 (2018)

Abstract

Political economists have argued that user activity on corporate social media is regarded as labour that appears playful and fun but is exploited and sold to advertisers for profit maximization.

This article begins with the working assumption that such user labour on social media constitutes a form of playing. It is theorized through a psychoanalytic perspective on the term as developed by D. W. Winnicott and André Green. The notion of gaming–playing is put forward to account for set interface structures on Facebook that resemble a game as well as free-flowing dimensions more akin to playing.

Some user discourses on Facebook are analysed through this prism.

A psychoanalytic conceptualization of user labour as playing allows one to analyse both positive discourses that emphasize Facebook as a space for creativity, exploration and the unknown, as well as negative discourses that critique the platform with regard to lacking privacy controls or data ownership.

Both discourses are conducted in a playful manner that creatively utilize a sense of user agency in relation to others and Facebook itself, but often remain without consequences.

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Let Them Play! Active Learning in a Virtual World

an article by Shu Z. Schiller, Kendall Goodrich and Pola B. Gupta (Wright State University, Ohio, USA) published in Information Systems Management Volume 30 Issue 1 (2013)

Abstract

In this research, the authors introduce Second Life in undergraduate marketing courses to evaluate its impact on learning.

Following the principles of active learning, they conducted two studies (“observing-reflection” and “observing-doing-reflection”) in which a total of 201 marketing students participated.

Findings show that students who feel Second Life is more game-like and easy to use report greater effectiveness of learning. When “doing” is incorporated in learning activity, enjoyment and learning outcomes improve significantly.

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