Time-Task Compression - Subverted Technology

Global Winds & Local Waves

Part 2 of 5

A University of Melbourne Edublog assignment

under the Freshman subject "Globalisation"

Passed with High Distinction (H1)

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3 Sep 2010, 10:20 PM by Benjamin L** C.Y. (Last edited: 4 Sep 2010, 12:05 AM)

(Blogger's note: Recall the readings titled The Discarded Factory and Social Acceleration)

Technology and capitalism are old friends. Businesses use it to deliver efficiency, comfort, and material ‘progress’. Is this correct?

Let’s see: In economics, the concept of capital-labour substitution will be known as the replacement of labour factor inputs with technological processes – with the factory being the classic example. This is a euphemism. The reality: workers are perpetually under pressure to upgrade their skills and dedicate more time and effort – to further reify themselves into commodities and factor inputs – in order to remain relevant in a world of increasingly technocratic production. In Orwellian Newspeak, this is euphemistically called “flexibility”, “skills upgrading”, and “competitiveness” that disguise the bleak truth in ‘progressive’ rhetoric.

But the Marxists have already touched on that. I put a new spin to it: capitalism has subverted technology and increased the pace of modern life. Technology has a quantitative aspect that concerns itself with efficiency: achieving the greatest results through the least input. Technology allows us to manufacture more goods with less time and effort, so why are modern, industrialised societies so rushed and stressful? Consider the following:

Technology: Reduced time for task completion, raising expectations of what can be done per unit time.

Capitalism: The profit imperative demands greater output per unit time in the quest for greater market share.

The synthesis of technology and capitalism: Completing more tasks per unit time becomes the norm, a sort of “time-task compression”.

But that alone isn’t sufficient to explain our increasing pace of life: rate of time-task compression must outstrip the time savings technology affords. I attribute this to global capital and labour migration. Because capital can flow from one factory to another overnight and workers can compete across borders, a “race to the bottom” (Klein, 2000) easily results. Competing factories and workers are under pressure to do more for the same income or achieve the same output for a lower price. Either way, it is a situation that puts extreme pressure on workers and, indeed, even executives striving to justify costs. This is where technology comes into play: it expedites the race to the bottom by facilitating capital transfers to areas with favourable terms and transports labour internationally. In short, someone, somewhere may be willing to do more for less and your boss can get them over.

This is competitiveness in our contemporary world: Use technology to shape up, or capitalism and technology can make you ship out.

Further Reading

Klein, Naomi. “The Discarded Factory: Degraded Production in the Age of the Superbrand.” No Logo. New York: Picador, 2000. 195-230.

Scheuerman, William E. “Social Acceleration.” Liberal Democracy and The Social Acceleration Of Time. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 2004. 1-25.

4 responses to: "Time-Task Compression - Subverted Technology"

Hilary C******** wrote:


Fri, 3 Sep 2010, 11:03 PM



I know, with all this technology to make my life and the lives of others easier, it seems like what is expected of us has doubled. Not fair!!! I'm constantly stressed for time on all the tasks I have to do, as a result certain things, like having a life, must sometimes suffer. I like your spin on this concept though, highlights a lot of reasons why the world seems crazier even though we continue to develop things to make life easier.


Benjamin L** C.Y. wrote: 


Sat, 4 Sep 2010, 12:04 AM



Thanks Hilary, I'm glad you like it :)
I hope our tutors, as fellow victims of the modern rush-ethos, can empathise and act accordingly (*HINT HINT!*)


Mariah C*** wrote:


Sat, 4 Sep 2010, 12:22 PM



Good question, what has created our fast paced life if technology is shortening the time it takes to do things. I agree the use of technology permits more activites to not only be completed quicker but also expected to be completed quicker. But I think this also creates a sense of frustration and anxiety.  Firstly, to not be left behind in the technological race and to be worried that we don't have the latest equipment but secondly also our reliance on such technology. If the expectation (that something is done quickly) exists but the technology does not, clearly creates stress. For example the break down of a photocopying machine, computer, car or 'frozen' webpage. The expectation that the work will be done quickly is still there but it is not as attainable

Benjamin L** C.Y. wrote:


Sat, 4 Sep 2010, 4:08 PM



Well put Mariah. In our modern haste, it becomes very distressing when technology fails. Ironically, we have become dependent on the medium of social acceleration. Expectations do soar, technology keeps pace with it, yet the faster processes it creates further raises time-task expectations. It's a negative feedback cycle that works against the people it's supposed to help.