数字劳工与下一代互联网
|
摘要
本文从传播政治经济学的视角出发,批判性地分析了下一代互联网的关键要素:云计算、大数据分析和物联网。文章认为,下一代互联网中的从业者并不都从事光鲜亮丽的劳动,还包括非洲开采稀有金属的工人、在中国工厂生产i Phone的工人,以及网站商业内容管理员和零工经济工作者。他们的劳动条件恶劣、收入低廉、缺乏保障,甚至被引导自我剥削。本文还讨论了自动化对工作的影响,包括零售业的萧条及大规模失业,创造性和信息化劳动岗位也朝不保夕,随着下一代互联网的发展,自动化引发的失业预测可能最终实现。最后,文章提供了可能的应对方案,包括重新工会化和各国正在实验的"全民基本收入"政策。
From the perspective of the political economy of communication,this article critically analyzes the key elements of the next Internet: cloud computing,big data analytics,and the Internet of Things. It is argued that not all the practitioners in the next Internet are working at opulent workplaces; they also include miners who extract rare metals in Africa,workers who produce iPhones in Chinese factories,commercial content moderators on websites,and gig economy workers. Their working conditions are poor,their incomes are low,and they are exempt from social welfare benefits and even led to self-exploitation. The article also examines the impacts of automation on work: the depression of the retail industry,mass unemployment,and the precarity of creative and informational jobs. With the development of the next Internet,forecasts of automationinduced unemployment may finally be realized. Finally,the article provides possible solutions,which includes re-unionization and the Basic Income proposals that many countries are experimenting with.
From the perspective of the political economy of communication,this article critically analyzes the key elements of the next Internet: cloud computing,big data analytics,and the Internet of Things. It is argued that not all the practitioners in the next Internet are working at opulent workplaces; they also include miners who extract rare metals in Africa,workers who produce iPhones in Chinese factories,commercial content moderators on websites,and gig economy workers. Their working conditions are poor,their incomes are low,and they are exempt from social welfare benefits and even led to self-exploitation. The article also examines the impacts of automation on work: the depression of the retail industry,mass unemployment,and the precarity of creative and informational jobs. With the development of the next Internet,forecasts of automationinduced unemployment may finally be realized. Finally,the article provides possible solutions,which includes re-unionization and the Basic Income proposals that many countries are experimenting with.
引文
Dignan,L.(October 24,2011a).Cloud computing's real creative destruction may be the IT workforce.ZDNet.Retrieved from http://www.zdnet.com/article/cloudcomputings-real-creative-destruction-may-be-the-it-workforce/
Dignan,L.(October 18,2011b).Analytics in 40 years:Machines will kick human managers to the curb.ZDNet.Retrieved from http://www.zdnet.com/article/analytics-in-40-years-machines-will-kick-human-managers-to-the-curb/
Dreyfuss,E.(March 24,2017).Hate to break it to Steve Mnuchin but AI's already taking jobs.Wired.Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2017/03/hate-breaksteve-mnuchin-ais-already-taking-jobs/
Frey,C.B.&Osborne,M.(2013).The future of employment:How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?Oxford University.Retrieved from http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/view/1314
Gandy,O.H.Jr.(1993).The panoptic sort:Political economy of personal information(critical studies in communication and in the cultural industries).New York:Westview Press.
Gordon,R.(2016).The rise and fall of American growth.Princeton,NJ:Princeton University Press.
Greengard,S.(2015).The Internet of things.Cambridge,MA:MIT.
Harris,M.(December 3,2014).Amazon's mechanical turk workers protest:“I am a human being,not an algorithm”.The Guardian.Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/03/amazon-mechanical-turk-workersprotest-jeff-bezos
Howlett,D.(February 13,2014).Exclusive:Computer economics study-cloud saves15 percent.diginomica.Retrieved from http://diginomica.com/2014/02/13/exclusive-computer-economics-study-cloud-saves/
Manyika,J.,Chui,M.,Bisson,P.,Woetzel,J.,Dobbs,R.,Bughin,J.,&Aharon,D.(2015).Unlocking the potential of the Internet of things.New York:McKinsey.
McKendrick,J.(February 19,2013).In the rush to cloud computing,here's one question not enough people are asking.Forbes.Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2013/02/19/in-the-rush-to-cloud-computing-heres-onequestion-not-enough-people-are-asking/#6d4a7b047194
Menegus,B.(September 22,2016).Lyft thinks it's“exciting”that a driver was working while giving birth.Gizmodo.Retrieved from https://gizmodo.com/lyftthinks-its-exciting-that-a-driver-was-working-whil-1786970298
Mola,R.(May 25,2017).The gig economy workforce will double in four years.Recode.Retrieved from https://www.recode.net/2017/5/25/15690106/gig-ondemand-economy-workers-doubling-uber
Mosco,V.(2014).To the cloud.New York:Routledge.
Nassauer,S.(July 19,2017).Robots are replacing workers where you shop.Wall Street Journal.Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/robots-are-replacingworkers-where-you-shop-1500456602
Pierron,A.(March 1,2017).Artificial intelligence in capital markets.Opimas.Retrieved from http://www.opimas.com/research/210/detail/
Qiu,J.(2016).Good-bye iSlave.Urbana,IL:University of Illinois Press.
Sodha,S.(February 19,2017).Is Finland's basic universal income a solution to automation,fewer jobs and lower wages?The Guardian.Retrieved from https://www.the-guardian.com/society2017/feb/19/basic-income-finland-low-wagesfewer-jobs
Solon,O.(May 4,2017).Facebook is hiring moderators:But is the job too difficult for humans.The Guardian.Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/04/facebook-content-moderators-ptsd-psychological-dangers
Thompson,D.(April 18,2017).The silent crisis of retail employment.The Atlantic.Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/the-silentcrisis-of-retail-employment/523428/
Tolentino,J.(March 22,2017).The gig economy celebrates working yourself to death.The New Yorker.Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/the-gig-economy-celebrates-working-yourself-to-death
Wingfield,N.&Eddy,M.(August 4,2013).In Germany,union culture clashes with Amazon's labour practices.New York Times.Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/05/business/workers-of-amazon-divergent.html
Dignan,L.(October 18,2011b).Analytics in 40 years:Machines will kick human managers to the curb.ZDNet.Retrieved from http://www.zdnet.com/article/analytics-in-40-years-machines-will-kick-human-managers-to-the-curb/
Dreyfuss,E.(March 24,2017).Hate to break it to Steve Mnuchin but AI's already taking jobs.Wired.Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2017/03/hate-breaksteve-mnuchin-ais-already-taking-jobs/
Frey,C.B.&Osborne,M.(2013).The future of employment:How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?Oxford University.Retrieved from http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/view/1314
Gandy,O.H.Jr.(1993).The panoptic sort:Political economy of personal information(critical studies in communication and in the cultural industries).New York:Westview Press.
Gordon,R.(2016).The rise and fall of American growth.Princeton,NJ:Princeton University Press.
Greengard,S.(2015).The Internet of things.Cambridge,MA:MIT.
Harris,M.(December 3,2014).Amazon's mechanical turk workers protest:“I am a human being,not an algorithm”.The Guardian.Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/03/amazon-mechanical-turk-workersprotest-jeff-bezos
Howlett,D.(February 13,2014).Exclusive:Computer economics study-cloud saves15 percent.diginomica.Retrieved from http://diginomica.com/2014/02/13/exclusive-computer-economics-study-cloud-saves/
Manyika,J.,Chui,M.,Bisson,P.,Woetzel,J.,Dobbs,R.,Bughin,J.,&Aharon,D.(2015).Unlocking the potential of the Internet of things.New York:McKinsey.
McKendrick,J.(February 19,2013).In the rush to cloud computing,here's one question not enough people are asking.Forbes.Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2013/02/19/in-the-rush-to-cloud-computing-heres-onequestion-not-enough-people-are-asking/#6d4a7b047194
Menegus,B.(September 22,2016).Lyft thinks it's“exciting”that a driver was working while giving birth.Gizmodo.Retrieved from https://gizmodo.com/lyftthinks-its-exciting-that-a-driver-was-working-whil-1786970298
Mola,R.(May 25,2017).The gig economy workforce will double in four years.Recode.Retrieved from https://www.recode.net/2017/5/25/15690106/gig-ondemand-economy-workers-doubling-uber
Mosco,V.(2014).To the cloud.New York:Routledge.
Nassauer,S.(July 19,2017).Robots are replacing workers where you shop.Wall Street Journal.Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/robots-are-replacingworkers-where-you-shop-1500456602
Pierron,A.(March 1,2017).Artificial intelligence in capital markets.Opimas.Retrieved from http://www.opimas.com/research/210/detail/
Qiu,J.(2016).Good-bye iSlave.Urbana,IL:University of Illinois Press.
Sodha,S.(February 19,2017).Is Finland's basic universal income a solution to automation,fewer jobs and lower wages?The Guardian.Retrieved from https://www.the-guardian.com/society2017/feb/19/basic-income-finland-low-wagesfewer-jobs
Solon,O.(May 4,2017).Facebook is hiring moderators:But is the job too difficult for humans.The Guardian.Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/04/facebook-content-moderators-ptsd-psychological-dangers
Thompson,D.(April 18,2017).The silent crisis of retail employment.The Atlantic.Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/the-silentcrisis-of-retail-employment/523428/
Tolentino,J.(March 22,2017).The gig economy celebrates working yourself to death.The New Yorker.Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/the-gig-economy-celebrates-working-yourself-to-death
Wingfield,N.&Eddy,M.(August 4,2013).In Germany,union culture clashes with Amazon's labour practices.New York Times.Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/05/business/workers-of-amazon-divergent.html