The Skills of the Digicom Worker

Over the past few decades, new information and communication technologies (ICTs) have increasingly gained a foothold in the workplace. As far as working individuals are concerned, this introduces new challenges as well as opportunities. Research results illustrate that the workforce requires new skills in order to both seize the opportunities for the working people and meet the challenges of a mediatized working environment. In the course of the study “Mediatization of Work", an online survey was carried out and 20 interviews with so-called “digicom workers" were conducted. These are individuals whose professional occupations mainly involve performing activities in the realm of communication and information, primarily through the use of digital technology. To a certain extent, their tasks are organized virtually, which means that they can work independently of space and time. A central finding revealed that media and technology literacy represent an essential prerequisite for many professions today. Moreover, flexible working conditions without defined boundaries require competencies in the management of time and space, as well as the ability to create and manage boundaries. The mobile office in particular, which may take the form of e-mail access via smartphone, notebook or tablet PC, requires a greater balancing effort in relation to the border between work and non-work. All in all, based on the example of digicom work, the results illustrate how the ubiquitous use of ICTs is influencing our way of life.