The Value of Work for Information Workers in Turkey

Abstract: This research aims to understand the value assigned to work by information workers in Turkey. Benefiting from the global literature on the meaning of work (Graeber, 2019), how work affects one’s character (Sennett, 1998), and how postmodern jobs are pushing individuals to a state of pretense (Alvesson & Spicer, 2016), I am trying to understand how the information workers in Turkey are experiencing global trends, what kind of value they assign to work, and what are some of the influences on their understanding of work. There is a growing information sector in Turkey, but very limited resources on their experiences. By utilizing the lens of the Marxist theory of alienation (Marx, 1992), this study explains the experiences of research participants in four categories: Alienation from self, from others, from productive activity, and finally the product. Research findings show that the alienation from self was heavily experienced by the research participants and the situation got severe when there was increased bureaucracy and workplace politics. Due to the increased division of labor and the nature of the information work, increased levels of alienation from productive activity and the product were also shared by participants of the research. The study concludes with my suggestions on potential future research to be conducted in the field to better understand the trends and conditions in Turkey.