Building on the theme "Uber-for-X is just tech bros replacing their Moms... I've heard two others:
1. Uber-for-X or more broadly "appification" is a way to shift labor paid for in the past by FIRMS, to their CUSTOMERS, by cloaking the free labor in the language of agency or control or freedom. No need to pay a travel agent, you can do all the booking work yourself, without pay, on your airline app! Or hotel app, etc. I know car dealers are thrilled that they no longer have to pay salespeople to educate the customer, who on average has spent 10 or so hours of unremunerated work online researching cars. All this work is now done by customers, who haven't even noticed the burdrn shifted to them. This invisible shift of work to users without them noticing or being paid I think is massive.
2. Uber-for-X is a way to avoid engaging with people Tech nerds traditionally have been horrible introverts. (Old joke: How can you tell an extrovert coder from an introvert? The former looks at YOUR shoes while he talks to you.) So devise apps that allow reduced social interaction. You don't have to talk to the cab driver if you've already told the app where you're going, and thank God you don't have to face her when you tip (if you tip), later, after she's driven away. No chatting with the waiter, just order the food. No talking to the desk clerk, just punch the access code to your AirBnB.
Building on the theme "Uber-for-X is just tech bros replacing their Moms... I've heard two others:
1. Uber-for-X or more broadly "appification" is a way to shift labor paid for in the past by FIRMS, to their CUSTOMERS, by cloaking the free labor in the language of agency or control or freedom. No need to pay a travel agent, you can do all the booking work yourself, without pay, on your airline app! Or hotel app, etc. I know car dealers are thrilled that they no longer have to pay salespeople to educate the customer, who on average has spent 10 or so hours of unremunerated work online researching cars. All this work is now done by customers, who haven't even noticed the burdrn shifted to them. This invisible shift of work to users without them noticing or being paid I think is massive.
2. Uber-for-X is a way to avoid engaging with people Tech nerds traditionally have been horrible introverts. (Old joke: How can you tell an extrovert coder from an introvert? The former looks at YOUR shoes while he talks to you.) So devise apps that allow reduced social interaction. You don't have to talk to the cab driver if you've already told the app where you're going, and thank God you don't have to face her when you tip (if you tip), later, after she's driven away. No chatting with the waiter, just order the food. No talking to the desk clerk, just punch the access code to your AirBnB.