Tech did not create the gig economy, which has been growing since the 1970s; services like Uber and TaskRabbit just took advantage of and intensified the trend
The insecure nature of work is a result of decisions by corporations and policymakers. — Mr. Hyman is an economic historian. Tweets: @nytopinion , @stevecase , @colmkear , @ankehassel , and @nytopinion Tweets: NYT Opinion / @nytopinion : For the vast majority of workers, the “freedom” of the gig economy is just the freedom to be afraid http://www.nytimes.com/... Steve Case / @stevecase : “Well before the Industrial Revolution took place, another revolution in work occurred, which historians call the ‘industrious’ revolution” http://www.nytimes.com/... http://twitter.com/... Colm Kearney / @colmkear : Technology does not usually drive social change. Social change is typically driven by decisions we make about how to organize our world http://www.nytimes.com/... Anke Hassel / @ankehassel : So true: “The nature of work always remains a matter of social choice. It is not a result of an algorithm; it is a collection of decisions by corporations and policymakers” http://www.nytimes.com/... NYT Opinion / @nytopinion : Your iPhone didn't create the gig economy. The insecure nature of work is a result of decisions by corporations and policymakers. http://www.nytimes.com/...