Technologies of Consumer Labor by Michael Palm

Technologies of Consumer Labor by Michael Palm

This book documents and examines the history of technology used by consumers to serve oneself. He argues that the naturalization of self-service telephony shaped consumers' attitudes and expectations about digital technology.

"Part of the brilliance here is that Palm is writing about something so totally ubiquitous and, to many, totally annoyingHe flips the story to show us how these technologies were designed under the banners of autonomy and freedom in order to make us do the jobs that we used to pay others to do. It's a great contribution." --Vicki Mayer, Tulane University, USA

"We all take our telephones for granted as mundane devices, but many will surely be won over by Palm’s argument that the telephone rather than the television is the triumphant consumer technology of the twentieth century. Palm crafts a spell-binding tale of how the telephone developed into what it is today, transforming from simply a conduit of voice communication to a site of women’s work, a site of emotional connection for the public, a site of the expansion of financial regimes, and a site of consumer labor. This brilliantly-written story is a must for students and scholars across a range of disciplines." -- Winnifred Poster, Washington University, USA

Michael Palm is Assistant Professor of Media and Technology Studies in the Department of Communication Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781138186477
ISBN 10	1138186473
Title	Technologies of Consumer Labor
Author	Michael Palm
Series	Routledge Research In Cultural And Media Studies
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Routledge
Year published	2016-11-10
Number of pages	186
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.