Platforms have rewritten the contract between workers and companies. Through decentralized collective action, gig workers and creators are starting to push back.
great article on digital work! For long-term solutions, Independent workers need a s͟o͟c͟i͟a͟l͟ d͟i͟s͟r͟u͟p͟t͟i͟o͟n͟. They need a social network to build collective actions. And decentralization will come progressively, as a natural consequence.
This is a fascinating article. However, it leaves out something really important. There is only one state in the country where Uber & Lyft Drivers are paid a minimum of over $15 per hour and have basic benefits like Workers Compensation, Dental, and Vision. That state is New York, and New York is also the only state in the country where these gig workers are represented by a union that has done the basic work of organizing them. It's not glamorous, but it's also not especially complicated. Labor progress begins with the hard work of organizing the workers, figuring out what they need, and then advocating for those needs.
This is great! Many prognostications on the Uberisation of employment end in the inevitable decline of wages and mass poverty. That is because most people assume that smart humans with a common cause won't stand up, organize, demand change - or build a new platform to compete. I would caution never to underestimate the power, creativity, or will of a connected group of humans with a common cause.
the entire web 2 can be summarized and understood by goodhart's law:
>any observed statistical regularity will tend to collapse once pressure is placed upon it for control.
or, as marilyn strathern's generalization: "when the measure becomes the target, it ceases to be a good measure."
... the goal of getting more subscribers, likes, and clicks... is destructive at best... evil at worst. it's time for something new. web 3 is already here... it's just not evenly distributed.
great article on digital work! For long-term solutions, Independent workers need a s͟o͟c͟i͟a͟l͟ d͟i͟s͟r͟u͟p͟t͟i͟o͟n͟. They need a social network to build collective actions. And decentralization will come progressively, as a natural consequence.
This is a fascinating article. However, it leaves out something really important. There is only one state in the country where Uber & Lyft Drivers are paid a minimum of over $15 per hour and have basic benefits like Workers Compensation, Dental, and Vision. That state is New York, and New York is also the only state in the country where these gig workers are represented by a union that has done the basic work of organizing them. It's not glamorous, but it's also not especially complicated. Labor progress begins with the hard work of organizing the workers, figuring out what they need, and then advocating for those needs.
This is great! Many prognostications on the Uberisation of employment end in the inevitable decline of wages and mass poverty. That is because most people assume that smart humans with a common cause won't stand up, organize, demand change - or build a new platform to compete. I would caution never to underestimate the power, creativity, or will of a connected group of humans with a common cause.
I am really trying to wrap my head around this. Great article.
the entire web 2 can be summarized and understood by goodhart's law:
>any observed statistical regularity will tend to collapse once pressure is placed upon it for control.
or, as marilyn strathern's generalization: "when the measure becomes the target, it ceases to be a good measure."
... the goal of getting more subscribers, likes, and clicks... is destructive at best... evil at worst. it's time for something new. web 3 is already here... it's just not evenly distributed.