While some of us welcome Singularity, not everyone is so gung ho on becoming one with their technology. In fact we’re moving away from it, becoming more introverted and seeking the silence we once had pre-Facebook.
With that, we’re looking to find better balance in our lives; finding that non-traditional models of work allow us to achieve that. Here’s what I’m reading this week along with my observations on the cultural trends they may represent:
Being an advocate of quiet in our society is as quixotic and ridiculous as being an advocate of beauty or human life or any other unmonetizable commodity. – Tim Krieder
The Contingent Worker
There are huge cultural shifts occurring in the world right now that have big implications to how our society will function in the future. Most recently, I wrote about the rise of those living alone in major metropolitan U.S. cities and how those individuals were becoming more socially aware, empathic people with higher levels of consciousness. Closely tied to this group of men and women is choosing to work freelance jobs.
More and more people are choosing a contingent work style — that is, temporary work that may be project-based or time-based — in order to obtain a better work/life balance. But the choice to work project by project isn’t just related to better work/life balance via shorter commute times or hours spent in an office It’s also intellectual. Research published by Rosalind Bergemann in 2010 among workers who voluntarily chose to become independent reveals that 74 percent of respondents cited lack of employer engagement as their principal reason for leaving.
Continual mental challenge, and the ability to learn and develop knowledge are indispensable for roles within companies these days. Employing those who posses exceptional abilities to continually adapt their thinking and leverage their curiosity about how things work in order to expand their skill set will be critical to healthy 21st century businesses. An inability to adapt, challenge the status quo or experiment with innovative ideas and processes will result in eventual company failure. (The Rise of the New Contract Work – Harvard Business Review)
The Silence Is Deafening
In a beautifully written op-ed piece, Tim Kreider explores the deafening sound of silence. Why is it that as individuals, we’re afraid to be fully present in a moment, with nothing vying for our attention? “Stores and restaurants have their ubiquitous Muzak or satellite radio; bars have anywhere between 1 and 17 TVs blaring Fox and soccer; ads and 30-second news cycles play on screens in cabs, elevators and restrooms,” writes Kreider. “People are louder, too. Respecting shared public space is becoming as quaintly archaic as tipping your hat to a lady, now that the concept of public space is as nearly extinct as hats, and ladies.” Why don’t we want things to be quiet, ever, anymore? Have we become so narcissistic that we think we’re entitled to broadcast our lives at all opportunities or it is something deeper than that? Frankly, I believe that silence is uncomfortable. In stillness and quiet, we’re forced to confront our demons, look at the world as it really is – not through rose-colored glasses – and accept a healthy dose of reality. And that reality isn’t something most people are ready to see. (The Quiet Ones – New York Times)
Animated Gif: Rebecca Mock for the New York Times