/alltechconsidered

At Uber, The Faceless Boss: A Look Into The Ride-Hail Driver Workplace : All Tech Considered : NPR
▻http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/06/09/531642304/the-faceless-boss-a-look-into-the-uber-driver-workplace

Uber has created one of the fastest-growing workforces in American history. And to recruit drivers, company leaders are fond of saying you can “Be Your Own Boss.” But through dozens of interviews and an informal survey, NPR found that hundreds of drivers feel the company is not living up to that promise. They say the San Francisco-based startup sets strict rules and punishments, just as other bosses do, but it’s eerily distant. Even in dire situations — like when you’ve been axed — it’s impossible to reach a human in charge. This facelessness is decidedly unlike other workplaces.

In interviews with NPR, Uber officials acknowledge that the company has to improve its communication with drivers and that in the initial years of growth, it was not a top priority. Now, they say, that’s going to change.

#Uber #disruption #Arbeit

The Internet Of Things Is Becoming More Difficult To Escape : All Tech Considered : NPR
▻http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/06/06/531747037/the-internet-of-things-is-becoming-more-difficult-to-escape

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/06/06/istock-507710032_wide-16def6f4e68e21e8a3b850bd6f7bae8830894473.jpg?s=1400

So once people are involved in the system, it’s hard to get out of it. What if they didn’t get involved at all?

Judith Donath of Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society says that isn’t actually a choice you get.

“People will move more deeply into connected life — and they also will be moved there whether they want to be or not,” she says. “The connection of the physical world to information networks enables the collection of an unimaginably vast amount of data about each of us, making it possible to closely model how we think and to devise increasingly effective ways of influencing how we act and what we believe. Attaining this ability is extraordinarily valuable to anyone with something to sell or promote.”

People crave connection and convenience over all else, and modern-day technology serves this well.

People are used to risk, and most people believe bad things won’t happen to them anyway.

David Clark, a senior research scientist at MIT and Internet Hall of Fame member, says: “Unless we have a disaster that triggers a major shift in usage, the convenience and benefits of connectivity will continue to attract users. Evidence suggests that people value convenience today over possible future negative outcomes.”

What about technology hacks, like WannaCry and the Mirai bot?

Robert Atkinson, the president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, says it probably won’t bother users as much as you might expect.

“Most adults in the U.S. drive cars even though it entails risks,” he says. “Most adults will use IoT devices even though they involve risks because the benefits will vastly outweigh any potential risks. Moreover, as IoT progresses security will improve.”

#internet #internet_des_objets