The disruption of markets and economies due to robots and automation.
Technology Based Economic Disruption (12)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 5 min
- Wired
- 2019
Because of the jobs offered by the booming tech industry, San Francisco has developed a caste-like hierarchy, in which the small group at the top of tech companies are the richest, while other citizens are left to get poorer as the middle class shrinks.
- Wired
- 2019
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- 5 min
- Wired
- 2019
How Silicon Valley fuels an informal caste system
Because of the jobs offered by the booming tech industry, San Francisco has developed a caste-like hierarchy, in which the small group at the top of tech companies are the richest, while other citizens are left to get poorer as the middle class shrinks.
Discussion Prompts:
How does the little social mobility within technology “castes” impact the digital tech workforce? To what degree is human agency on both ends limited by the emergence of artifacts such as Taskrabbit or Instacart?
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- 5 min
- The Atlantic
- 2019
A book proposes we let robots do all of Earth’s physical labor, creating a world where virtually all human needs are met, in this new ideology called Fully Automated Luxury Communism, or FALC. This is modeled after certain fictions such as Star Trek.
- The Atlantic
- 2019
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- 5 min
- The Atlantic
- 2019
Give Us Fully Automated Luxury Communism
A book proposes we let robots do all of Earth’s physical labor, creating a world where virtually all human needs are met, in this new ideology called Fully Automated Luxury Communism, or FALC. This is modeled after certain fictions such as Star Trek.
Discussion Prompts:
Do you think the FALC ideology is tangibly possible? Which potential problems do you see in its implementation? If robots become advanced enough to become what are essentially human actors, can they be expected to complete all of the world’s labor without compensation?
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- 5 min
- Citylab
- 2019
Currently, the idea of “smart cities” are so theoretical and predicated on the idea of “technochauvinism” that they mostly exist in images which sell the ideas of ever-advancing technology and application of futuristic technologies to urban centers as a cash cow waiting to be milked.
- Citylab
- 2019
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- 5 min
- Citylab
- 2019
The 3 Pictures That Explain Everything About Smart Cities
Currently, the idea of “smart cities” are so theoretical and predicated on the idea of “technochauvinism” that they mostly exist in images which sell the ideas of ever-advancing technology and application of futuristic technologies to urban centers as a cash cow waiting to be milked.
Discussion Prompts:
What is a smart city, at least in theory? What might be left out of the phenomenon (urban life) that smart cities attempt to abstract in the creation of a smart city? What priorities come with envisioning a smart city, and who is or should be in control of this?
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- 15 min
- ARS Technica
- 2019
Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Libra, is facing problems and will take a long time to develop. While it is attempting to mirror the bitcoin blockchain network in its ideology and functionality, there are significant barriers to reaching this vision, the most prominent of which being that its existence as a subsidy of Facebook means there cannot be decentralized control or accountability.
- ARS Technica
- 2019
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- 15 min
- ARS Technica
- 2019
There’s a big problem with Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency
Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Libra, is facing problems and will take a long time to develop. While it is attempting to mirror the bitcoin blockchain network in its ideology and functionality, there are significant barriers to reaching this vision, the most prominent of which being that its existence as a subsidy of Facebook means there cannot be decentralized control or accountability.
Discussion Prompts:
What are the differences between Bitcoin and Libra cryptocurrencies? How does Libra embody technocratic control in a way that Bitcoin does not? Should this new cryptocurrency network be above governmental regulation? What would be the consequences of this?
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- 13 min
- Kinolab
- 2011
In this episode, Bing Madsen is one of many citizens who provide power to the digital world through spending each day on a stationery bike, which earns him “merits” to spend on both leisure activities and necessities. These laborers, along with all other classes, are constantly surrounded by screens in which their digital avatars can participate in virtual activities like biking on a road or being in a “live” studio audience. The reality competition show “Hot Shot” is one program streamed on these screens. In this narrative, Bing conspires to grab the attention of the world on stage, proclaiming that the whole digital world is fake and has brainwashed the laborers into providing power while upper classes get more leisure and enjoyment. This eventually lands him with his own talk show, where he recreates his suicide threats for sensational content in exchange for a more lucrative lifestyle.
- Kinolab
- 2011
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- 13 min
- Kinolab
- 2011
Technological Immersion, Digital Underclasses, and Attention Economies
In this episode, Bing Madsen is one of many citizens who provide power to the digital world through spending each day on a stationery bike, which earns him “merits” to spend on both leisure activities and necessities. These laborers, along with all other classes, are constantly surrounded by screens in which their digital avatars can participate in virtual activities like biking on a road or being in a “live” studio audience. The reality competition show “Hot Shot” is one program streamed on these screens. In this narrative, Bing conspires to grab the attention of the world on stage, proclaiming that the whole digital world is fake and has brainwashed the laborers into providing power while upper classes get more leisure and enjoyment. This eventually lands him with his own talk show, where he recreates his suicide threats for sensational content in exchange for a more lucrative lifestyle.
Discussion Prompts:
How can technology be used/how is technology used to pacify the masses? What connection can you make to the society depicted here and the way that social media and other digital companies use data to make profits? How can digital technologies become a breeding ground for sensational content, and can this problem be fixed? Can anyone be “unplugged” and successful in our reality? How do internet communities commodify authenticity?
Black Mirror: Bing Wakes Up-
- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2001
“Gigolo Joe” is an android sex worker in an imagined future in which “Mechas,” or humanoid robots, have risen to prominence after a climate disaster. He performs his duties without hiding the fact that he is an android.
- Kinolab
- 2001
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2001
Robots and Sex Work
“Gigolo Joe” is an android sex worker in an imagined future in which “Mechas,” or humanoid robots, have risen to prominence after a climate disaster. He performs his duties without hiding the fact that he is an android.
Discussion Prompts:
Could robots eventually replace sex workers? What are the ethical and economic implications of this? How will machines be able to perfect seduction?
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