Hope Labor

What is Hope Labor?

Hope Labor is a concept developed by media researchers Kathleen Kuehn and Thomas F. Corrigan (T.C.) based on their conversations with online content creators. We define Hope Labor as "un- or under-compensated work carried out in the present, often for experience or exposure, in the hope that future employment opportunities may follow." The most familiar form of Hope Labor is the unpaid internship; however, as digital production platforms proliferate, more and more online activities (status updates, blog posts, etc.) can be thought of as Hope Labor -- as stepping stones to future employment. While the matter is certainly up for debate, we have argued that Hope Labor disproportionately benefits the firms for which Hope Labor is carried out, while undermining employment prospects in the industries Hope Laborer seek to enter.