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Hidden digital work in cultural organisations
2.
About this survey
Who I am & why this matters
My name is Ash, and I'm an
independent digital advisor
who works with cultural organisations.
This survey is part of my ongoing research into the realities of digital work.
It builds on the findings of my
Beyond the Promise
report
on digital failure, which was published in 2025.
This survey will inform a new study focused on the hidden work people do to keep digital running in cultural organisations, work that is often unplanned, unsupported, misunderstood, or unrecognised.
The findings from this survey will feed into a report on the cost and scale of hidden digital work, early sector baselines, and a practical toolkit, all of which will be published in Autumn 2026.
This project is supported by
manifesto
and
DEN
.
What this survey covers
The survey asks about your experience of hidden digital work.
It is anonymous and should take around 10 minutes to complete. Best-guess answers are absolutely fine, the aim is to understand typical patterns rather than precise measurements.
Hidden work
refers to necessary digital tasks that are not properly planned, resourced, credited, or understood. For example: out-of-hours fixes, ad-hoc teaching, manual data clean-up, relationship and political work, or system workarounds. It is work that is necessary but that does not appear in your formal job description, or in what your colleagues understand your role to involve.
In this project I am intentionally keeping the definition of “
digital work
” broad. If your role intersects with technology, data, systems, content, online platforms, or digitally enabled culture in any way, or if it enables infrastructure, engages audiences, or expresses artistic and cultural activity, then it is relevant here.
__________________
If you have questions, you can email me at ash@ashmann.co.
Thank you for contributing your experience,
Ash
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