Follow-ups to my tweetstorm yesterday about unacknowledged costs of dysfunctional systems, the possibility of systemic collapse, and how we can do better:https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/981947735371743233.html …
“Shadow Work: The Unpaid, Unseen Jobs That Fill Your Day” is a 2015 book about this. I haven’t read it. http://amzn.to/2uRKgYA
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“Bullshit jobs” is the technical term, coined by
@davidgraeber, for the paid aspect. I don’t find his explanation for them convincing, and he didn’t propose a solution in his original viral article, but it’s a good description of the problem. http://evonomics.com/why-capitalism-creates-pointless-jobs-david-graeber/ …Show this thread -
Graeber has a book coming out next month that proposes a theory for why there are so many bullshit jobs (which a naive view would suppose capitalism ought to eliminate).

@againstutopia,@bornwithatail_,@IlariKaila https://amzn.to/2Jrn4UkShow this thread -
In the mean time, “The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy,” also by
@davidgraeber, looks highly relevant, and is now on my to-read list: https://amzn.to/2ErwPhoShow this thread -
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Several people pointed out, in different ways, that the problem is not information technology, it’s social technology—or just political will. IT can free us from drudgery—or enslave us. For one example, in many countries taxes are automated. Another:https://twitter.com/StephenPiment/status/981952230759657473 …
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Relatedly, several pointed out that regulatory capture is a major cause of the problem. Economists measure the cost in terms of rent extraction and obstacles to innovation. They (probably?) don’t take into account the human cost of generating shadow work and bullshit jobs.
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End of conversation
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