DOMINANT COLLAR JOURNALIST: DIGITAL LABOR, AUTONOMY AND A NEW TYPE OF WORKER IN THE MEDIA FIELD
DOMINANT COLLAR JOURNALIST: DIGITAL LABOR, AUTONOMY AND A NEW TYPE OF WORKER IN THE MEDIA FIELD

Summary/Abstract: The term “blue-collar,” which first appeared in 1924 to describe physically laboring workers, was followed in the 1930s by the concept of “white-collar,” referring to those primarily engaged in office work and using their minds more. However, with the advent of the internet into our lives, confusion began to arise around these concepts. The rapid pace of digitalization has brought the issue of what to call people working in this sector to the forefront. After the pandemic emerged in 2020, a group of people emerged who work from home without any age restrictions; who are highly skilled in using digital technology, independent, enjoy a relaxed environment, and devote the entire day after work to themselves. I defined these people as the ‘Dominant Collar’ in my book “Metaverse and Artificial Intelligence” written in 2023. This term, which is not found in literature reviews, was first coined by me. With this work, I have mentioned the concept of “Dominant Collar” once again in this article.Today, as the number of journalists working in the traditional way decreases, journalists who are highly skilled in using digital technology have begun to increase. Their proliferation has given rise to a new type of work and labor, beyond physical and mental labor. “Dominant Collar” can be defined as a subject that combines the production labor of Blue Collar workers with the knowledge labor of White Collar workers, but unlike either of them, establishes dominance over digital labor. In other words, it can be considered a “Post-Industrial Working Class” that has emerged with digital work. Based on this, “Dominant Collar Journalists,” each of whom is now a “one-person media mogul,” no longer physically go to the office. This article examines the independence, working methods, and digital labor of these home-based journalists, as well as the changes and innovations they have brought to the sector.

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