In the On The Media clip “Permanent Record” Nazanin Rafsanjani discusses how she wrote an embarrassing letter to www.iranian.com when was just 19 years old in response to 9/11 and the letter is now featured on the website. Nazanin Rafsanjani discusses how she has asked them personally to remove the letter from the website, but according to them “everything on Iranian.com is permanent”. This is scary to me because something that is clearly Nazanin Rafsanjani’s words, her beliefs, etc. has been taken as property of Iranian.com and publicized without her consent.
Even though this situation is different than online networking sites, like Facebook and MySpace, it reminded me of the recent Facebook controversy. Facebook recently changed their Terms of Use, allowing them (Facebook) to use any information that any user has ever put on Facebook, in any way they wish to, without the permission of the individual. They also reserved the right to change this term at any time. Even though I am not sure if Facebook has modified this since I last checked, I still find this to be very scary and invasive. I understand, on the one hand, that if one agrees to use Facebook and abide by Facebook’s terms, then they have agreed on a deal. Facebook offers a service (communication, networking, picture sharing, etc.) but it is at a cost, a high cost: one’s privacy. It just seems a little deceitful and hypocritical to me that Facebook allows users the ability to set these elaborate security settings, which really just create a false sense of security, since at the same time Facebook reserves the right to use anything you have ever put on Facebook in any way they want to, at any time.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Privacy: Internet Responsibility
Lessig discusses in Code the advantages and disadvantages of individually targeted ads, based on a system of data collection. Lessig discusses that one advantage is that the consumer would be encouraged to make voluntary transactions because the ads would be better targeted. One disadvantage might be that the records that keep the consumer’s personal information could be invasive of his/her privacy. Lessig talks about how another potential disadvantage of the consumer-targeted computer ads could be that the consumer would experience a flood of well-targeted advertising and become overwhelmed.
In class, it was discussed that certain consumer groups, such as older generations, may not be as aware of the data collection and resulting well-targeted advertising and may become manipulated into purchasing the advertized products. One argument against that was presented in the class discussion was that if the consumer is on the internet, then it is his/her responsibility to educate his/herself about dangers of the internet. In other words, not being aware of the well-targeted ads, and thus allowing oneself to be manipulated is the consumer’s fault. I completely disagree with this statement. It is expected of almost any American today, that he/she has a computer and uses the internet. If someone emails another person, for example, and the person does not check his/her email regularly, that person is considered irresponsible and at fault. This is because the internet has become such a norm for communication. If society expects everyone (even older, less computer-savvy individuals) to use the internet, then they need to make sure that the internet, and its well-targeted ads are user (including older user)-friendly. In other words, if it is expected of non computer-savvy individuals to be on the internet because it is the responsible thing to do, then it should expected of the internet to take this into consideration, not take advantage of it.
In class, it was discussed that certain consumer groups, such as older generations, may not be as aware of the data collection and resulting well-targeted advertising and may become manipulated into purchasing the advertized products. One argument against that was presented in the class discussion was that if the consumer is on the internet, then it is his/her responsibility to educate his/herself about dangers of the internet. In other words, not being aware of the well-targeted ads, and thus allowing oneself to be manipulated is the consumer’s fault. I completely disagree with this statement. It is expected of almost any American today, that he/she has a computer and uses the internet. If someone emails another person, for example, and the person does not check his/her email regularly, that person is considered irresponsible and at fault. This is because the internet has become such a norm for communication. If society expects everyone (even older, less computer-savvy individuals) to use the internet, then they need to make sure that the internet, and its well-targeted ads are user (including older user)-friendly. In other words, if it is expected of non computer-savvy individuals to be on the internet because it is the responsible thing to do, then it should expected of the internet to take this into consideration, not take advantage of it.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The New Workday: 9 to Never
After listening to the NPR interview in class on Thursday, I was very intrigued. According to the author in the interview, the average workday is lengthening due to technology. The old days where people would come home after a rough 9 to 5 workday are over. Now, when people come home, they are constantly in work mode because of new technology like blackberries and email. Leisure time has been devalued as middle to upper class workers are always “on call,” constantly receiving and sending emails after leaving the office. While I was not alive during the days of the old standard, I can completely agree that this is the new standard for the middle to upper class worker. It is difficult to argue that this is not the case. Unfortunately I do not like this trend and wish the United States labor culture would regress to what it was in the past. Our jobs should not dominate us so much as to the point to where we are on the clock every waking second of our lives. Another alarming point brought up by the author was that now more than ever people are associating the essence of their being with their jobs. For example, when introduced to strangers more and more people are saying, “Hi. My name is (insert name here), and I’m a (insert job here).” There are more important characteristics to oneself than one’s job. While I dislike these trends, I am worried that they will continue and perhaps get even worse. Unfortunately, technology is adding to this new culture, and we are not doing much to stop it.
Robot Takeover: Not as Bad as All That?
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, many jobs have become increasingly simple and mechanical in nature due to the detailed division of labor. This applies, as we have discussed in class, not only to assembly-line style factory jobs, but also to customer service and clerical jobs as well as jobs once considered inherently creative such as computer programming. Many of these jobs, broken down into chunks of labor digestible by the principles of automation, now require almost no human work at all and are performed exclusively by robots or computer code. Even seemingly managerial tasks such as product inspection and supervision of employees (robot or human) are now done by robots in many cases, and of course M-C-M' means that no one should be paid to do what a robot will do just as well for free. Even our military, it seems, is on the verge of depending on combat robots like BigDog, pictured below.
Though I do not subscribe to the Kurzwelian notion of an impending "singularity", I do ask myself what direction the ever-increasing technological capabilities of modern humanity will be taking the world in terms of labor and culture. What will happen when most of a society's undesirable tasks can be done by robots instead of "wage slaves"? I think we are already seeing the beginnings of the answer to this question, which certainly has a positive and a negative side for humanity.
The negative side has been pretty well covered by popular science fiction. Perhaps robots, human-controlled or not, will make a bid to take over the world (as if they hadn't already). Perhaps we will all become utterly absorbed in virtual reality simulations. Perhaps humanity will be reduced to a bunch of lazy, fat good-for-nothings.
On the other hand, I think it's very possible that humanity, along with its conceptions about time management and labor, will simply adjust to the new environment in a positive way. Educational standards will continue to rise, as they have in current years, meaning that people will stay in school longer, marry later, and may have less children. In this way, improved food production and health care will be kept from causing a "population explosion". Since almost all menial labor jobs will be performed by robots, real people will be freed up for either more interesting or simply more lazy tasks. Call me optimistic, but I think that many people will transcend the modern "couch potato" phase of humanity – a world with almost no work of any sort – and become a society of post-modern artisans and artists. In a techno-utopia, people will be free as never before to pursue artistic lifestyles – not only because their needs are taken care of by robots, but because technology will offer an unprecedented quantity and quality of creative outlets such as VR sculpting or (just possibly) sky surfing.
Is this stuff really going to happen? Maybe not, but it's worth thinking about why technological progress isn't all bad for labor and culture both.
Downside of Downsizing
The term downsizing has become a lot more prevalent in current times. The advancement of technology coupled with the pitiful state of the economy has made it the norm to downsize in large companies. Tasks and duties in the workplace can be consolidated to a lower number of positions, which is not always the most efficient option. The company may be saving some money however, the employee may feel more overwhelmed with the new tasks they are assigned and may not be able to handle the workload. As mentioned in the Greenbaum readings programmers are doing a lot more work because the programming language used is based on tools and languages from previous years. Thus, they are able to do more cutting the need for some specialists. This downsizing has lead to a lower amount of job security and technology, as Greenbaum mentions, has a lot to do with it. Many companies that cannot afford to have a secretary really feel that they do not have the need for one or eliminate the position due to technological advances such as voicemail or email. Instead of creating more positions, technology has provoked more downsizing. Companies want to save money by buying technology to reduce the amount of workers needed, workers may feel overwhelmed, and some may possibly leave the position. However, times are so tough right now that people have no choice and are stuck with doing the extra work or be left without a job. That brings up a second point that workers really have no choice to take on the extra workload. The choice is either do the work or be without a job. Thus, downsizing in times of harsh economic conditions really puts pressure on the workers to complete the extra work or lose the job all together.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Problems with Labor
Greenbaum states in her preface that her children accused her of complaining about old jobs, and then complaining when they were taken away. She assures the reader that she is going to avoid such complaints in Windows on the Workplace, but in my opinion, she fails. She neglects to present a solution to problems with modern jobs.
Braverman abhors the over-division of labor. He complains that tasks are broken into more and more specialized tasks, which allows management more control over the work process. Super-division of labor stifles creativity of the worker, allows management to drive the worker to work faster, and so on and so forth. Tasks in the past were very divided; indeed, there were separate workers to answer a phone, type a document, or sort the mail. However, in recent days, many workers are expected to take on more than one of these tasks. Workers must perform less-divided tasks. Workers rejoice, right?
Greenbaum points out many issues with less-divided labor. Admittedly her focus is on technology and its effects on work, but a major focus is how workers are expected to complete more diverse tasks. According to Greenbaum, this is erasing jobs and displacing workers who find themselves suddenly underskilled and unable to compete in the current job market. This may be a result of uber-division of labor, but Greenbaum wonders what happens if workers are asked to complete more and more varied tasks. Furthermore, she provides no solutions for problems with labor.
The sad fact of the matter is that any form of labor presents a problem. Divided labor is boring, controlled, and exploitative; undivided labor is stressful, competitive, and leaves many workers out of a job. People have disliked aspects of their jobs since the beginning of time. And while our current labor system has problems, and may not be the best system; I guarantee that whatever the next system is, people will have endless complaints about it.
Braverman abhors the over-division of labor. He complains that tasks are broken into more and more specialized tasks, which allows management more control over the work process. Super-division of labor stifles creativity of the worker, allows management to drive the worker to work faster, and so on and so forth. Tasks in the past were very divided; indeed, there were separate workers to answer a phone, type a document, or sort the mail. However, in recent days, many workers are expected to take on more than one of these tasks. Workers must perform less-divided tasks. Workers rejoice, right?
Greenbaum points out many issues with less-divided labor. Admittedly her focus is on technology and its effects on work, but a major focus is how workers are expected to complete more diverse tasks. According to Greenbaum, this is erasing jobs and displacing workers who find themselves suddenly underskilled and unable to compete in the current job market. This may be a result of uber-division of labor, but Greenbaum wonders what happens if workers are asked to complete more and more varied tasks. Furthermore, she provides no solutions for problems with labor.
The sad fact of the matter is that any form of labor presents a problem. Divided labor is boring, controlled, and exploitative; undivided labor is stressful, competitive, and leaves many workers out of a job. People have disliked aspects of their jobs since the beginning of time. And while our current labor system has problems, and may not be the best system; I guarantee that whatever the next system is, people will have endless complaints about it.
Response to "Computers and self-service" NPR stories
It is clear after listening to the three "Day to Day" NPR stories that computers are taking over many tasks that have been traditionally executed by people. In "Seattle Airport Swaps Counters for Kiosks" it is discussed how the traditional, long, linear, employee-run ticket counters are being replaced by small computer-run kiosks, which allow passengers to check themselves in. This system even allows passengers to put their own luggage on the conveyer belt. In the “Cell Phone Boarding Passes” story, it was explained how airlines are considering a ticket distribution system in which the airlines text their passengers a link to an image of their ticket bar code, so that they are able to just scan their cell phone on the screen upon boarding. The last story “Text Message Food Order”, introduces the idea of ordering Papa John’s pizza via text message.
Although in each of these industries computers are clearly replacing/eliminating tasks traditionally done by employees, Greenbaum would argue that the technology being employed, here, is not the sole culprit, but rather these new technological changes are also a result of managerial objectives. For instance, in the“Seattle Airport Swaps Counters for Kiosks" story it was mentioned that in 1970 the Seattle airport saw 4 million passengers and now 30 million people travel through the Seattle airport per year. The airport is assisting over 7 times as many traveler as it did 37 years ago (the article originally aired in 2007). The new computer technology is a solution to the crowd issue, a result of such an increase in travelers. The kiosks save time, in that it allows for a number of shorter traveler lines. The small lines also help everyone, even airport employees, remain calm during increased traffic times. It was discussed how even allowing passengers to place their luggage on the conveyer belt, themselves, decreases the number of employee injuries.
In the “Cell Phone Boarding Passes” story it was discussed how sending travelers their ticket bar code via text message would save the airline $3.50-$5.00 per passenger, which could result in lower ticket prices. Saving money is traditionally a managerial objective. Not only would this save money, but it would also save paper, and thus is also a greener alternative to paper boarding passes. What is important to keep in mind is that not everyone has a cell phone or uses text messaging, so the traditional paper boarding passes would still be available to the traditional passengers.
In “Text Message Food Order” customers utilizing the text message order option must have already established their “fav’s” (favorite pizza and toppings) online so that they can just text FAV1, FAV2, etc. Therefore, this ordering option only targets a specific consumer group. This group would consist of young, local customers who order pizza often enough to have their favorites ready on their phone.
Although the new computer technologies in all three of these industries would eliminate certain jobs, it is a result of changes and new needs within the industries, and thus are a result of managerial objectives, as discussed in the Greenbaum readings. It is also important to keep in mind that there is still a need in all three industries for employees to do it (whatever that may be) the traditional way, for the traditional customers. In a way, the new computer technologies will also create jobs in that they will need to be created, produced, and maintained. These jobs do employ a more educated class, though.
Although in each of these industries computers are clearly replacing/eliminating tasks traditionally done by employees, Greenbaum would argue that the technology being employed, here, is not the sole culprit, but rather these new technological changes are also a result of managerial objectives. For instance, in the“Seattle Airport Swaps Counters for Kiosks" story it was mentioned that in 1970 the Seattle airport saw 4 million passengers and now 30 million people travel through the Seattle airport per year. The airport is assisting over 7 times as many traveler as it did 37 years ago (the article originally aired in 2007). The new computer technology is a solution to the crowd issue, a result of such an increase in travelers. The kiosks save time, in that it allows for a number of shorter traveler lines. The small lines also help everyone, even airport employees, remain calm during increased traffic times. It was discussed how even allowing passengers to place their luggage on the conveyer belt, themselves, decreases the number of employee injuries.
In the “Cell Phone Boarding Passes” story it was discussed how sending travelers their ticket bar code via text message would save the airline $3.50-$5.00 per passenger, which could result in lower ticket prices. Saving money is traditionally a managerial objective. Not only would this save money, but it would also save paper, and thus is also a greener alternative to paper boarding passes. What is important to keep in mind is that not everyone has a cell phone or uses text messaging, so the traditional paper boarding passes would still be available to the traditional passengers.
In “Text Message Food Order” customers utilizing the text message order option must have already established their “fav’s” (favorite pizza and toppings) online so that they can just text FAV1, FAV2, etc. Therefore, this ordering option only targets a specific consumer group. This group would consist of young, local customers who order pizza often enough to have their favorites ready on their phone.
Although the new computer technologies in all three of these industries would eliminate certain jobs, it is a result of changes and new needs within the industries, and thus are a result of managerial objectives, as discussed in the Greenbaum readings. It is also important to keep in mind that there is still a need in all three industries for employees to do it (whatever that may be) the traditional way, for the traditional customers. In a way, the new computer technologies will also create jobs in that they will need to be created, produced, and maintained. These jobs do employ a more educated class, though.
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