Predictions about the Future (of Work)

I t used to be that being self-employed meant that you were unemployed. Now being employed often means you're hardly employed. In 2010, I was invited to make a prediction about the Internet's use in 10 years. 1 Five years later, it's worthwhile to review the state of my prediction. So let's pause while you re-read that piece. It's okay; I don't mind waiting. Done? Okay, now read Paul Mason's " The End of Capitalism Has Begun, " 2 which is an advertisement for the complete book. It won't take you long. I'd like to compare and contrast. First, I should note that I like Mason's piece very much. Although all economic theories are suspect , I like his suspicion that austerity means that wages for commodity jobs in developed countries fall until they match rising wages for the same jobs in developing countries. Employment just isn't what it was (for a short time). I especially like Mason's discussion on the inability of economists to value more sophisticated work. In particular, I've noted since the '80s that while I've made a very good living from writing and speaking, I haven't actually engaged in anything economists can value as " production, " except to value it by what I'm paid, which means they have no theory at all to account for the work of analysis and synthesis. That kind of work is increasingly prevalent, but I won't linger on that important issue. I want to focus instead on the future of work. Mason's arguments are largely abstract, although he has some good examples. His thesis is that the freeing of information is at odds with capitalism of the last few centuries. He even points out that his thesis was anticipated by Karl Marx. I don't disagree with much of the article, except that I don't think there's anything we can do to promote the change. Instead, I want to focus on a specific aspect of information and work so that I can avoid economic theories. Mason discusses the power of information. He mentions (as one of the three ways information is changing capitalism) that, " we're seeing the spontaneous rise of collaborative production: goods, services and organizations are appearing that no longer respond to the dictates of the market and the managerial hierarchy. " 2 He, I, and many others have long predicted that people will collaborate in ways that evade …