Automation Is a Myth

Automation is a myth that rests on three fictions: full autonomy, universal automation, and automating everyone. Munn explores how new technologies reconfigure labor, combining human stories with insights from media and cultural studies to provide a more nuanced, localized, and racialized understanding of the future of work.

Format: Hardback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 22 March 2022
Publisher: Stanford University Press

Automation is a subject that elicits contrasting views, with some heralding it as a labor-free utopia and others predicting a disastrous future. However, as Munn argues, automation is more of a fable than a reality, resting on a set of triple fictions. The first fiction is the myth of full autonomy, which suggests that machines will take over production and replace humans. However, the reality is far from this idealistic vision. Technical solutions are piecemeal, requiring immense human labor to support and maintain them. The second fiction is the myth of universal automation, where technologies are portrayed as a desituated force sweeping the globe. This fiction ignores the social, cultural, and geographical forces that shape technologies at a local level. The third fiction is the myth of automating everyone, with the generic figure of the human at the heart of automation claims. However, labor is socially stratified, and automation's fallout will be uneven, falling heavier on certain groups such as immigrants, people of color, and women.

Munn's book explores the ways in which new technologies do and do not reconfigure labor, drawing on a rich array of human stories from China to the United States. By combining insights from media and cultural studies, Munn offers a more nuanced, localized, and racialized understanding of the future of work. The book challenges the notion that automation will lead to a universal decline in jobs and highlights the ways in which new technologies can create new opportunities for workers. It also emphasizes the importance of workers' skills and education in adapting to the changing landscape of work.

In conclusion, automation is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires a nuanced and comprehensive understanding. Munn's book provides valuable insights into the ways in which new technologies are shaping the future of work and the challenges and opportunities that they present. By challenging the triple fictions that underpin automation, the book offers a more realistic and equitable vision of the future of labor.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503631113