Graduate Students Professionalizing in Digital Time/Space: A View From “Down Below”

As they write in multiple online social spaces, graduate students employ digital writing practices and experiences unaccounted for in previous narratives of professionalization. These practices, which revolve around the multiple spaces assembled on their computer screens, are often productive for graduate students. Their digital multitasking allows them to practice employing theoretical concepts in unexpected personal sites while establishing connections and creating professional networks. However, these practices also evoke strong affective responses as graduate students often express guilt or shame about the extent to which these digital practices do not feel like “work.” In this article that draws from a multi-phased research project employing time-use diaries, screen captures, and interviews, the authors describe work-related digital writing moments of two graduate students, Phillip and Alyssa. After describing these practices, as well as Phillip and Alyssa's affective reactions to them, the authors reflect on the state of professionalizing practice in the time/space associated with writing in digital environments, then raise questions for future inquiry.