Conference Paper
A Survey of Digital Working Conditions of Danish Knowledge Workers
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Text/Conference Paper
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Date
2021
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Volume Title
Publisher
European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET)
Abstract
We present a representative survey of the digital working conditions of 466 Danish knowledge workers. We provide data on 1) the hardware and software they use to accomplish their main job activities, 2) the strategies they use to personalise their software, and 3) their digital competences. Our results show that the average Danish knowledge worker primarily uses a laptop and a smartphone to accomplish their work; they use an average of four software applications, mostly developed by large US corporations; they infrequently personalise their software using built-in settings and rarely personalise using plugins, scripts, or reprogramming; they are most capable in using collaboration and communication tools, feel more comfortable formatting other worker’s digital content than creating their own, and are confident they can solve most technical issues. These results put into question the relevance of the long-standing Personal Computing dream envisioned by HCI pioneers, highlights the tensions between software applications and the digital sovereignty of the European continent, and emphasise the importance of including digital tools in our conceptualisation and regulation of working conditions.