TOW #26: "The Machines are Coming" (Written)

                In this constantly changing world of technology, it is almost a given that at some point, human jobs would be replaced with machines. That’s exactly what Zeynep Tufekci’s article in the New York Times strives to reveal. Titled The Machines are Coming, Tufekci writes about how the machine is starting to take over companies due to their greater efficiency over humans. In the article, the author uses an anecdote and quoting to reveal how the future will be more about how humans value each other, rather than the us vs. machines theory.

                Tufekci first introduces an anecdote of a conversation with a call center. She states that the man she discussed with was not able to get something done, and therefore thought he was going to lose his job. Through the use of the anecdotal example, Tufekci shows how humans are now treated in many employments as dispensable, or easily replaceable with a machine. By showing how the current worker is not worth employers’ time, she is able to show how strained the potential relationship between a worker and their employer can be. Therefore, the anecdote allows readers to connect with a familiar action, a call to a call center, and understand just how bleak the situation could be.

                Tufekci then uses quoting to show how technology is increasingly being used not for the benefit of worker, but at the expense of them instead. Once showing that workers are indeed dispensable, Tufekci then includes a quote from Shoshana Zuboff, a Harvard social scientist, to explain how the worker is just being replaced instead of empowered by technology and machines. A quote from an established social scientist allows Tufekci to increase her credibility to readers, which further allows the audience to connect with her points. In this way, Tufekci is able to further the proposition that humans need a way to see each other in a balance, rather than in a powered vs. powerless manner.

                Although the majority of workers face replacement, some workplaces are instead taking advantage of technology to empower their workers. Therefore, there is still hope for the “average Joe,” who might not have to worry about his being replaced with a robot.