What you used to use the internet for?
From the beginning of the journal, there is a short conversation. A conversation between two guys talking about their work. And it is clear to see that Mark represent the past and Jeremy represent the present.
Last time, we used to work from day to night (9am to 5pm) and when you are in work, you really WORK. Not much time for all the little chit chats, hey how are you let's go for a drink talk, on Facebook to check your news feed nor time for you to go on Youtube to check out the latest celebrity embarrass moment. Instead, you'll have to face the paper works, poke the calculator from time to time to calculate, in worse case scenario, you even have to write, go to the dust-filled room to get the archives.
But look, now that the technology is so advance, there is no need for us to do all that anymore! Like what it is mentioned in the book,
"Knowledge-based service grew 177 percent between 1995 and 2005"
Can you see how advance the world is going right now? Staying at the same pace like what you used to be is no more helping in anyways already. Now this is the world that is knowledge-oriented.
"More manually intensive employment has move out and in its place we have the processing of services and "knowledge" industries, from banking to marketing."
In a way, it meant there are lesser manual works to be done anymore. No more poking the calculator to count when Microsoft Office Excel can count that for you. No more memorizing when your hard disk can keep everything for you. Sounds cool? Feeling great? But did you ever think of the downside of it? What will happened to the human then?
Do you still remember where all the factories used to be full of people to do the same action to produce a product?
What about now? Machines are replacing the humans.
What about the workers then? In a way, it actually caused more people to be jobless. It's true that it will be more efficient and everything will be more productive but like the barter system. If you want to gain something, you'll need to pay for it first. When the country chose to be more advance, they should know that they will sacrifice alot of workers in a way.
Now everything is so intangible. Just like one of the point we learnt in liquid labor, now that the technology is so advance, everything turns uncertain. You won't know when your account will get hack, you won't even know when your data is gonna crash. Taking this as an example, I'm not saying that accidents won't happen in the past. But think, if a place really caught on fire, isn't it that most of the details will be gone? Means you'll have to start all over again.
Another example, let's say you as a client is dealing with a high tech, very advanced, very famous company and this happened, which you'll choose to believe?
Situation A
Agent : Oh gawd, I'm so sorry. My hard drive corrupted and I might need sometime to work out the proposal again.
Situation B
Agent : Oh gawd, I'm so sorry. My office just caught in a fire and everything is gone. I might need sometime to work out the proposal again.
Which will you accept more? For me, definitely will be situation B. Who cares your hard drive corrupted? You should do a back up. But if it's office caught in fire, at least you really do see the damage of it.
Back to the article, it says
"In addition, employees are looking for values that match their own, and work that fits with their life rather than something that simple pays for it to happen."
they also say that
"workplace has quickly given way to a realisation that the boundaries between work and personal interaction are blurring and there has been a move away from a presumption that there is a clear boundary around the use of social networking tools at work"
This is very true especially in this century. Look, try imagine that you are working in a company. When your boss caught you Facebook-ing, you can always use "I'm checking/updating our fan page" as a reason to get away from it. (Provided that you have the fan page's tab ready). In fact, even if it's in Global Network class, the lecturer won't know if you're on your personal Twitter account or it's the account for assignment unless he reads the content in it.
There is no more a clear line telling you whether social network is for personal or work anymore. Remember when times you tell your mother you wanna do assignment and she caught you Facebook-ing instead?
Mummy: I thought you say you wanna do assignment? WHY FACEBOOK?
Me: Maaaa, it's work! It's assignment. It's a group to discuss assigments. =D
And pooof! You ran away from it.
Can social website call as social website then? Besides connecting with others, it also involve business, job or even money transaction (In terms of giving account numbers to do online banking etc) Is it just for social now?
No matter how, we can't deny the fact that network/ social network do help alot. Far more than just connecting with friends itself.
I am so agree with the Facebook part.
ReplyDeleteEven our boss can't differentiate are their employees working or entertaining. But this makes employees start blaming everything to the social networking site. And employers can't do anything on this because they are using social networking site for their businesses.
I like the conversation of between we and our mummy!Because my mom always asked me "who are you chatting with? aren't you doing assignment?"
ReplyDeleteDoubtlessly,the advance of technology enchance our quality of work but sometimes it could trigger the misunderstand between employers and employees, family or even friends. What I mean is, is hard to predict what will happen through the diversitification of technology although it helps a lot to the recent modern society.
Hi Jia Xin
ReplyDeleteI like how you use Facebook examples to explain the idea that social networking websites has become a necessarity in our life. No matter for work or personal purposes, it is important for us to interact with others as a tool. It has become a daily habit, something we literally can't live without.
Also, i agree on your point that with technology advancement, it is not necessary for us to work in offices anymore. we can now work remotely at any place of our choice.
Great post here! Love the way you constructing the ideas. The illustration did explain everything that faced in our society nowadays. There was a saying that if you throw a book from the building, the book will fall on the jobless fresh graduate people. Look around and some news, the numbers of jobless people are increasing as the technology had replaced their job scope. It's undeniable that technologies do help us a lot in our life and make our easier. But think from the other point, I think that human are eventually been replaced by the machine or the technology which is sad to see.
ReplyDeleteVery agree with your point in the social networking sites. Well, social network do extend our ability especially in business world. Everything is about the speed, the effectiveness. Social network definitely helping when there are a lot of competitions out there.
However, social network sites are more perceived as the source of entertainment. When comes to business, there are some unavoidable area. The gray areas that people can't separate the work and also entertainment and personal.
There are lots of good points in this post! Thank you Jia Xin!
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ReplyDeleteNice post Jessine. I like the way you applied the example for it. For the 2 picture above, last time people use man power to work in factories, but for the advanced technology nowadays, the workers replace by the machine replace, everything transform computerize, for the old workers they force to learn a new technology. Today, if you know how to used a computer in the sense of Microsoft writing and access to online; the higher chances we get the job.
ReplyDelete"I'm checking/updating our fan page" I like this sentence, it’s a brilliant idea. As we know “Facebook” is the popular social networking today, the company tend to use Facebook as communicating tool to interactive with customers. Almost all the companies and organizations own a fan page, Now, some companies even hired a person who only in charge on the fan page, keep updating and reply the consumer question. It’s this consider as liquid labour as well?
Nice post Jessine. I like the way you applied the example for it. For the 2 picture above, last time people use man power to work in factories, but for the advanced technology nowadays, the workers replace by the machine replace, everything transform computerize, for the old workers they force to learn a new technology. Today, if you know how to used a computer in the sense of Microsoft writing and access to online; the higher chances we get the job.
ReplyDelete"I'm checking/updating our fan page" I like this sentence, it’s a brilliant idea. As we know “Facebook” is the popular social networking today, the company tend to use Facebook as communicating tool to interactive with customers. Almost all the companies and organizations own a fan page, Now, some companies even hired a person who only in charge on the fan page, keep updating and reply the consumer question. It’s this consider as liquid labour as well?
machines have replace manpower and creates a higher unemployment rate, it is true but if you manage to control the machines, you become more worthy. The current world is eliminating the old generation workers. They need to hire peoples that with computer skills and knowledge to control and fix the machines. You will get a better wages if you are able to master those skills that the corporation required. Technology has changed our world, it makes our world better or worse is depends on the individual.
ReplyDelete