The whole point of the "service" economy is that of making you pay for services you used to take for granted. On the one end of the conversion process are the annointed ones who get the contracts and most of the money. On the other end of the conversion process are the workers who either get fired, outsourced, or deskilled....but who always wind up making less money for the same work.
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Ah yes.
Consider, as an example, the ATM.
Banks say, *marvel at the convenience of it all* and millions of us do. But notice how this *service*, which was originally marketed not only as a boon to people who need cash when no teller is available, but also as a way of 'reducing the cost to the consumer' has made it possible for banks to reduce labor while increasing fees (for 'network maintenance and upgrades to serve you better' we're told). Not only that, but the ATM makes the customer a part of the labor chain even as she pays for the privilege.
A trick of sinister neatness.
Computer driven telephone 'help' menuing systems that force people to navigate complex decision trees are another example of this transference of labor to the customer.
But why read my poor script? Ursula Huws' *The Making of a Cybertariat* spends a good amount of time describing this process and its implications.
About the book...
< http://www.monthlyreview.org/cybertariat.htm >
Doug's interview with Huws
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http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#031002
>
.d.