The place of screen usage for entertainment in the reproduction of social life: the example of generation Z

The post-fordist production style which has changed the dynamics of social life, deeply affects the entertainment industry with the advanced screen technology developed by it. Like dijital platforms video streaming services make a place for themselves in the culture of daily life by taking part among the digital endemics of this process. Generation Z which is compatible with the screen entertainment that was born and grown in the years when the Internet began to become widespread, contributes to the popularization of video streaming services designed for consumption anytime and anywhere. In this study, which investigates the nature of this contribution, entertainment understanding and practices of the generation Z in Turkey have been focused on, and the function of digital labor and affective labor in the reproduction of social life by interpreting the screen use specific to the video streaming service in the context of the culture industry has been tried to be determined. For this purpose, the research was carried out by semi-structured interview technique with 21 participants who were determined according to the theoretical sampling strategy, who do not have quota problems in internet access and use at least two video streaming services, including YouTube. As a result of the research, it has been revealed that entertainment labor which constitutes the dynamic of social life in networks, is spent without high awareness; that watching practices create a demand for the reproduction of similar world views with the relationship of capitalist (video streaming service) and worker (video streaming service audience); there is a conscious audience; and that screen entertainment, which has a socializing effect, occupies significantly in the daily life of the generation Z. Further, "digital entertainment labor", "entertainment indolence", "imperfect entertainment", "isolation in the platform", "media shift", "screen vortex", "streaming hypnosis", "video streaming worker" and 3S (studying, streaming, sleeping) terms have been brought to the literature based on the statements of the samples.