this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2023
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My comment got downvoted to all hell by a bunch of Marxists who don't understand how an economy works... which is not surprising in the least.
Look, my point is fairly straightforward. The idea that automation will do all the jobs and people will just sit around and do nothing all day is nothing more than a thought experiment. It's a sci-fi idea. Not in the sense that people will have to work no matter what, but in the sense that's not how automation or society works. We will never reach a point where we max out on what kind of work can be done and therefore we can automate all of it away. There will always be a new chapter that's slightly more advanced than the last. I think we can agree that new technology should be used to benefit society as a whole, but we're not going to have an economy based on hobbies any time soon. While automation gets rid of jobs, it also creates opportunities for new jobs to take place. We've already gone through automation revolutions before. We already know how the cycle goes. New technologies get invented, those technologies get put to use immediately, the people who's jobs it is replacing will get angry and riot/protest, they will end up losing and having to either find a new trade or elevate their skills to remain in their trade. Basically, the economy becomes more complex. We may not have lamplighters, human computers, or ice cutters anymore, but thanks to the advances in technology we do have brand new jobs like software engineers, social media managers, or animators. When we look at the past, we can see constant change. There's no reason to think that will stop with this current wave of automation. I think the economy will just shift to a new phase.
"...an economy based on hobbies..."
The new jobs you mentioned, social media managers and animators are unnecessary bullshit jobs. To the point they're as good as hobbies. They're trivial, and there's no reason for those jobs to be compulsory or high stress at all. Our treatment of those kinds of jobs is ridiculous.
It's time for UBI, a decent baseline, and then good compensation for actual important work.
People like yourself are responsible for the destruction of our life support system for trivial reasons.
That's not up to you to decide. Your personal tastes on what a "real job" has no bearing on whether or not it is a job. There's clearly a demand for it, there are people who get paid for doing it, and there are people specializing in it. It's an actual job.
Social media managers are basically the new generation of PR. They advertise, spread awareness, and do community outreach. These core responsibilities have been a part of jobs for a very long time, it's just this job is adapted to a new medium where people gather.
If you want to argue for better working conditions, protections, and rights then I would actually agree with you. But this brainless idea that jobs aren't necessary or that there will be a point where they're all going away is stupid. Societies can only function when their members contribute, and the current wave of automation is NOT going to put everybody out of work. Old jobs will automated away, new jobs will be created, and people will adapt to the advancing economy. This is the same it has been for the past automation waves. The idea that automation will do all the work and people have nothing to do anymore is literally nothing more than a pop culture sci-fi idea.
I'm not opposed to a UBI or better compensation. But this boomer mentality of "real jobs" is as myopic as it is ignorant.
I'm not responsible for shit. I'm merely pointing out that you're delusional fantasies about what automation and the economy don't actually reflect reality.
You choose to argue and act in favor of it.