A DIVE INTO HOW US HUMANS DEAL WITH WHAT WE CALL "THE FUTURE OF WORK" WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY AND HOW IT CAN SHAPE A FALSE NARRATIVE.
The actual term “future of work” has been a phrase that I’ve heard not only from my University studies, but also growing up my whole life from parents, friends, professors and teachers. It seems to be a daunting topic to those who have jobs in areas of engineering, teaching or even just a plain old job in any field. But why so? There is a stigma around what all of our future of work looks like with the fast growth of technology. The thought process that comes from this issue, is that we ALL need to be cautious of every move or decision we make when choosing a career. Because one day, a computer might just be able to take that job that you loved right away from you. Although, this fear may be instilled in one’s mind because of the negative narrative placed on the phrase “future of work” from what they’ve heard growing up. There is actually a lot less to worry about with this phrase, and us human beings are the creators of our own future with correlation to adaptation, as long as we adapt, we will be fine.
The narrative that comes from the future of work, is mostly quite negative. The Industrial Revolution was the forerunner of this theory of being “replaced” with machinery, but now in the 4th Industrial Revolution, technology is the replacer. Believe it or not, people used their own hands to find and/or make their own resources ranging from clothing, finding food supplies, or trapping animals for their fur or food, and that’s just a small snippet of the hard work people did to make a living. Once the industrial revolution came along, these individuals found that their “own hands” were not needed anymore. They were replaced with large machinery, there was no more hand picking or doing labour from human physical touch unless you used a form of machinery.
“The Industrial Revolution represents the time when home production of goods began to be transferred to factories powered by steam and electricity, fuelled by coal and oil. Producing things in mass quantities and transporting things faster over long distances”.
“Industrial Revolution for Kids: A simple yet comprehensive overview” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl_-6WPQ4Sg
Technology has since grown from the late 1700s, and in correlation with the fear of machinery replacing those hands in the era of the Industrial Revolution, individual’s of this century are afraid of their career paths and supplies they work for are being replaced with even bigger and better technologies. People are scared of change and/or being replaced in every aspect in life, but the future of work will be entirely subsequent by technology, and we can’t pretend that it won’t be this way.
Workplaces are especially of those in particular who have adapted to the fast-moving paces of technology. There have been a number of instances where an employee has been laid off or made redundant because their work is not needed anymore, and is replaced by either a computer or some type of machinery. Although, this factor does not define if a human is good or worthy enough to work in their career. This just means that individuals need to create the narrative that we, as human beings, need to adapt to the future of work and what it will entail, rather than focusing on the negative concept behind the future of work. It’s all about change. Of course, technology is going to run the next few centuries of the workforce, it is inevitable. But, through recent readings and studies, experts also know that a machine cannot replace a human’s attributes. “Study after study shows that while technology will alter many roles directly, it’s also set to have indirect effects. As demand for mathematics, computing and data analysis grows, so too will the need for human attributes like creativity, critical thinking, persuasion and negotiation“. (Bruce-Lockhart 2020).
“The human can do things that the machine can not do, and together they do better”.
Kai-Fu Lee. CEO of Sinovation Ventures. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY1j2drdl1w&feature=emb_title
We are shaping our own negative narrative when it comes to the future of work, relatively to us making a positive connotation. Bernard Marr analyses how we can prepare for the future of work in a more positive light, he explains individuals will need to act and engage in lifelong learning, so they are adaptable when the changes happen… “rather than succumb to the doomsday predictions that “robots will take over all the jobs,” a more optimistic outlook is one where humans get the opportunity to do work that demands their creativity, imagination, social and emotional intelligence, and passion.”
“While nothing is certain, it’s important for every human to begin taking steps in the direction to prepare for a future where machines become colleagues. If we don’t begin to adapt to the changes today, it will be challenging to catch up later.” (Marr, 2019).
Michael White’s ‘absent but implicit’ is a practise that enables us to know when something is wrong. Through a negative experience to positive experience, and to know how to drive ourselves forward in the future. This comes back to the original thought process of the future of work being nothing but jobless, we need to think more optimistically and not focus on the growing rate of technology, and if in fact it will replace our jobs. Our overall focus needs to be based on how we can go about adapting to the future of work. Not how we will be replaced.
To conclude, the future of work is something we don’t need to ponder about constantly. Of course there is an overlying fear of being replaced by technologies, but we need to remember that we are surrounded by work every other day. Ourselves need to push for further education on the future of work, through life-long learning and growing our own toolbox. The future of work is something we need to adapt too, and change our own values and potentials for. As individuals, we have a responsibility to create our own path and future, and by doing so, it would be obliging to focus more on the positive narrative rather than this negative narrative on how technology could replace our jobs.
References:
- Bruce-Lockhart, A 2020, “Davos 2020: Here’s what you need to know about the future of work“, The World Economic Forum, 16 January, viewed 12 November 2020. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/davos-2020-future-work-jobs-skills-what-to-know/
- Kai-Fu L 2018, “Will You Lose Your Job to Automation?“, World Economic Forum, 15 June, viewed 12 November 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY1j2drdl1w&feature=emb_title
- Marr, B 2019, “The Future of Work: 5 Important Ways Jobs Will Change In The 4th Industrial Revolution“, Forbes Article, July 15, viewed 13 November 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/07/15/the-future-of-work-5-important-ways-jobs-will-change-in-the-4th-industrial-revolution/?sh=86a7a8d54c7c
- White M, “Maps of Narrative Practice”, Academic Journal, 2007, viewed 13 November 2020.
- 1st Image extracted – digitaltrends.com
- 2nd Image extracted – https://nuwrld.org/get-ready-for-the-commercial-real-estate-apocalypse/
SOPHIE MORRIS 