In Class Activity Contemporary Communications

1 In Class Activity Mount Royal University COMM 4501-003: Roles and Practices in Contemporary Communications Amanda Williams October 7th, 2024 2 In Class Activity Option 1 1. In the email we would first point out that what they are asking for is something that not a normal person can do without experience. Managing social media and especially doing SEO is something that is more than just creating and posting posts. It is something one needs professional experience and skills in. There’s aspects of marketing involved in it, strategies, SEO and a lot of other skills that need to be learnt and are often taught in university or gained through professional experience that takes a long time to develop. Asking someone to volunteer for this when they need professional skills and experience could be really undermining the value of the person's experiences and skills. This role should be treated as a paid position, just like other digital marketing jobs that require similar or almost exact skills. It is also difficult to find experience to fulfill these requirements when other companies are also looking for experience. 2. The second thing we would bring up are the hours. 20 hours is a lot of time for a person to spend working without getting paid especially during peak times. Volunteering starts from September all the way till July which is a long time especially for students or young professionals wanting to stp into their industries. Although it starts with shorter hours, peak times are listed as May-July which is usually the time students or young individuals look for paid work to save up for either tuition or their expenses. Many students/young individuals are already struggling to balance school, work, and financial responsibilities, and expecting this level of unpaid labour could be seen as almost taking advantage of the kindness of volunteers to gain experience. For example, jobs like event planning or digital marketing, both these industries rely on young workers to volunteer as means to “get their foot in the door.” Yet, the tasks and responsibilities that they are given are the same as those that a paid employee would also do. So, we would argue that they should really consider paying the individuals for their time and effort, especially when the workload is extremely significant with extremely long hours that can be seen as hours for a part time job. 3. The major problem with this job posting is that it is assuming that everyone is willing and able to work for free. As mentioned in the Ted Talk, white people have the privilege to be able to intern for free, whereas this isn’t even an option for some people of colour. Whether this is due to having to pay off international student loans, or help support their families, people of colour have additional barriers that makes working for free impossible for them without significantly struggling financially. Thus, this ad is being discriminatory by assuming that everyone has the ability to volunteer/work for free. For example, someone who loves western culture, animals or even digital marketing but can't spare 20 hours a month without pay might even miss out on this chance. So if Stampede would allow everyone regardless of their financial situation to participate it would make sure that this role is open to everyone and not just those who can afford to be working without a pay. 3 Email Layout: Dear Calgary Stampede, I am interested in your position on the Livestock Competition Committee: Social Media Lead, however, I believe that this position would be more beneficial to everyone involved if it were a paid position. Firstly, I believe that what you are asking for in terms of qualifications is something that not a normal person can do without experience. Managing social media and especially doing SEO is something that is more than just creating and posting posts. It is something one needs professional experience and skills in and asking someone to volunteer for this when they need professional skills/experience would be really undermining the value of the person's experiences and skills. The second point I have is volunteering starts from September all the way till July which is a long time especially for students or young professionals wanting to stp into their industries. Although it starts with shorter hours, peak times are listed as May-July which is usually the time students or young individuals look for paid work to save up for either tuition or their expenses. Many students/young individuals are already struggling to balance school, work, and financial responsibilities, and expecting this level of unpaid labour could be seen as almost taking advantage of the kindness of volunteers to gain experience. Lastly, the major problem with this job posting is that it is assuming that everyone is willing and able to work for free. As mentioned in the Ted Talk, white people have the added privilege of being able to intern for free, whereas this isn’t even an option for some people of colour. Whether this is due to having to pay off international student loans, or help support their families, people of colour have additional barriers that makes working for free impossible for them without significantly struggling financially. In conclusion, I believe this position should be paid because it requires the same skills and hours as a professional paid job in this industry. As someone who is a person of colour and financially independent, it would be very difficult for me to fulfill the listed requirements asked without an adequate wage. Sincerely, Mount Royal University Students.