Between Screen and Band saw line 4.0: Mediatization and Subjectivation in the Austrian Forestry and Sawmill Industry
April 30th 11:45 – 13:15 HS Kosuta (S.2.05 in case of rain)
Manfred Rosenzopf, BA MA (Doctoral studies in Philosophy)
Abstract of the talk:
This presentation introduces a dissertation project that explores the mediatization and subjectivation of work in traditional industrial sectors. With the increasing integration of digital media and communication technologies, the Austrian forestry and sawmill industry is undergoing significant transformation. But what does this mean for the people working in this sector? The ongoing digitalization and technological transformation of work are of interest not only in media and communication studies but also in the sociology of work.
The project aims to analyse everyday experiences in the Austrian forestry and sawmill industry to examine how new digital work and communication practices influence work culture and social interactions. The dissertation is situated within the tradition of Workplace Studies, an interdisciplinary field concerned with the impact of new technologies on work and subjectivity. Theoretically, the project draws on the concept of communication as a form of agency and its effects on work and subjectivation in everyday life. Empirically, employees of a medium-sized forestry and sawmill company will be interviewed in qualitative studies, work processes will be observed, and documents will be analysed.
Preliminary research has shown that a discursive field around the topic of the digitalized world of work is emerging. The more deeply digital transformation penetrates the world of work, the more it alters its organization, conditions, routines, patterns of knowledge, and value systems. This will be examined and discussed using the Austrian forestry and sawmill industry as a case study.
