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Ghost Work (international Edition): How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass Paperback – May 7, 2019

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

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In the spirit of Nickel and Dimed, a necessary and revelatory expose of the invisible human workforce that powers the web—and that foreshadows the true future of work.

Hidden beneath the surface of the web, lost in our wrong-headed debates about AI, a new menace is looming. Anthropologist Mary L. Gray and computer scientist Siddharth Suri team up to unveil how services delivered by companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Uber can only function smoothly thanks to the judgment and experience of a vast, invisible human labor force. These people doing "ghost work" make the internet seem smart. They perform high-tech piecework: flagging X-rated content, proofreading, designing engine parts, and much more. An estimated 8 percent of Americans have worked at least once in this “ghost economy,” and that number is growing. They usually earn less than legal minimums for traditional work, they have no health benefits, and they can be fired at any time for any reason, or none.

There are no labor laws to govern this kind of work, and these latter-day assembly lines draw in—and all too often overwork and underpay—a surprisingly diverse range of workers: harried young mothers, professionals forced into early retirement, recent grads who can’t get a toehold on the traditional employment ladder, and minorities shut out of the jobs they want. Gray and Suri also show how ghost workers, employers, and society at large can ensure that this new kind of work creates opportunity—rather than misery—for those who do it.

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Editorial Reviews

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Fordham University Center's Book Prize, 2019 A 2019 Financial Times Critics Choice "Revealing...this compassionate and informative study is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of work." —Publishers WeeklyGhost Work adeptly raises the alarm about an emerging type of dehumanizing work, where invisible workers serve as cogs in the great machine of our latest information technology, entirely beholden to software and artificial intelligence.”—Martin Ford, bestselling author of Rise of the Robots and Architects of Intelligence “An uncompromising, data-based, yet heartfelt exploration of how digital technologies have allowed corporations to write human beings even further out of the value equation, as well as how we can restore dignity and prosperity to the lives of the invisible workforce. The first step in building solidarity is simply knowing there are people out there.” —Douglas Rushkoff, author of Team Human and Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus. "Ghost Work is a stunning book, just the wake-up call we need to shatter the credulous belief that artificial intelligence is ‘replacing' workers. As Gray and Suri masterfully demonstrate, work isn’t disappearing in the age of AI; it is being hidden. Scrupulously researched and deeply humane, Ghost Work is at once a sobering reminder of what could happen if we allow algorithmic cruelty and exploitative labor practices to flourish and an inspiring call to defend the dignity and value of human labor." –Virginia Eubanks, author of Automating Inequality "The Wachowskis got it wrong. Humans aren't batteries for The Matrix, we are computer chips. In this fascinating book, Mary Gray and Siddharth Suri show us just how integral human online task workers are to the development of AI and the seamless operation of all the great internet services. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand our technology-infused future." —Tim O'Reilly, CEO, O'Reilly Media “A remarkable book. As one of the millions of hidden workers of the world, I know this book gets to the heart of what it means to be a ghost worker. It reveals the true reality of work life for the people earning a living as digital pieceworkers. The authors also propose several technical and social fixes to collaboratively build a better future for everyone working in the shadows.” —Rochelle LaPlante, digital labor rights activist   “Ghost Work is groundbreaking, a painstaking portrait of an invisible world. We can only choose a different future of work if we truly see today’s workers." —Felicia Wong, President and CEO, Roosevelt Institute, Author, The Hidden Rules of Race: Barriers to an Inclusive Economy "If you think you know what's going on with digital labor, think again. This pathbreaking book is sure to re-set the debate about technology and the future of work. Based on extensive ethnography and survey research, Ghost Work is a must-read for anyone who cares about a humane future for those of us who need to work for a living. A game-changer." —Juliet B. Schor, Professor of Sociology, Boston College   “Mary Gray and Siddharth Suri show us the  human face to ‘ghost work’ -- the invisible and often alienating piece work that makes today's digital economy run. The people working today for Mechanical Turk and similar platforms are the canaries in the coal mine, revealing how more and more of us will be working in the years to come." —Henry J —

About the Author

MARY L. GRAY is a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research and Fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. She is also Associate Professor of  the School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering with affiliations in the Media School, Anthropology, and Gender Studies at Indiana University. Mary draws on anthropology, gender studies, and media theory to understand how technology access, material conditions, and everyday uses of media transform people’s lives.
 

SIDDHARTH SURI is a computational social scientist whose research interests lie at the intersection of computer science, behavioral economics and crowdsourcing. His early work analyzed the relationship between network topology and human behavior. Since then he has become one of the leaders in designing, building, and conducting “virtual lab” experiments using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.  Most recently, he has been studying the behavior and dynamics of the crowd workers themselves.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Business (May 7, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0358120578
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0358120575
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 9 x 0.79 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

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4.5 out of 5 stars
69 global ratings

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How legions of tech workers around the world may change the work world as we know it
5 out of 5 stars
How legions of tech workers around the world may change the work world as we know it
Just had the opportunity to actually hear author, Mary Gray, speak in person about "Ghost Work", detailing the unintended consequences of the digital economy on a new global, largely faceless, workforce. As she described how technology and the internet have given people the flexibility to not be tied to one office or even one company, I related to the freedom that one feels to "be your own boss", and "choose your clients". But this burgeoning "new economy" happens outside the traditional "safety net" that society has relied on companies to provide to their employees. This new era has created new jobs and new employees, but no updated HR department.By chronicling workers’ stories, the authors identify the shortcomings of this new digital economy, with the hope that structural changes can be made, that may have lasting benefits for freelancers & contractors in other industries as well.So how will they be assured safe working and living conditions and health care and retirement? The new challenge is figuring out how society values and cares for these workers. Will it take mass labor organizing? Anyone who has worked for a startup or been part of the gig economy will recognize themselves in these stories, and realize this is not the "future of work"; this is the "current status" of work. And the paradigm needs to change.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2019
    You're surrounded by algorithms, including on this site. It all looks nice and automated, but behind that automation are people who nurture software, translate content, and do all of the small tasks that are needed to make the machines succeed. These workers and their work are invisible... unless you go looking for them. In this deeply researched book, Mary Gray and Sid Suri sat down with the invisible workers behind automation to understand what they do and what their lives work with. Through this grounded analysis, they make a compelling argument for how the future of work does not look like the hyped media stories about robots. Yet, at the same time, they highlight how this "ghost work" reveals cracks in the system that need to be repaired in order to preserve human dignity. This is a must read for anyone who is trying to understand how the economy is transforming in front of our eyes.
    28 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2019
    This is a fantastic, much needed book that anyone interested in technology and labor should pick up. Through rich, insightful fieldwork and analysis it shows the ways workers continue to make up a crucial - albeit often invisible and under protected - part of the chain that keeps the internet, our technologies, and various systems functioning. It's wonderfully written, presenting compelling data, stories, and incisive analysis. A must read.
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2019
    interesting, but nothing earth shattering here
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2021
    As someone who does HITs to supplement my less than okay income, this book captures the struggle of : the amount of time , the sometimes underpaid tasks , and the inconsistency of “ghost work”. My best read of 2021.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2019
    It is really frightening, a new force of deep slaves is being created by the big powers of AI. The book well describes the ugly process.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2019
    Excellent book, very important to chart a better path for the future of work.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2019
    Just had the opportunity to actually hear author, Mary Gray, speak in person about "Ghost Work", detailing the unintended consequences of the digital economy on a new global, largely faceless, workforce. As she described how technology and the internet have given people the flexibility to not be tied to one office or even one company, I related to the freedom that one feels to "be your own boss", and "choose your clients". But this burgeoning "new economy" happens outside the traditional "safety net" that society has relied on companies to provide to their employees. This new era has created new jobs and new employees, but no updated HR department.

    By chronicling workers’ stories, the authors identify the shortcomings of this new digital economy, with the hope that structural changes can be made, that may have lasting benefits for freelancers & contractors in other industries as well.

    So how will they be assured safe working and living conditions and health care and retirement? The new challenge is figuring out how society values and cares for these workers. Will it take mass labor organizing? Anyone who has worked for a startup or been part of the gig economy will recognize themselves in these stories, and realize this is not the "future of work"; this is the "current status" of work. And the paradigm needs to change.
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    How legions of tech workers around the world may change the work world as we know it

    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2019
    Just had the opportunity to actually hear author, Mary Gray, speak in person about "Ghost Work", detailing the unintended consequences of the digital economy on a new global, largely faceless, workforce. As she described how technology and the internet have given people the flexibility to not be tied to one office or even one company, I related to the freedom that one feels to "be your own boss", and "choose your clients". But this burgeoning "new economy" happens outside the traditional "safety net" that society has relied on companies to provide to their employees. This new era has created new jobs and new employees, but no updated HR department.

    By chronicling workers’ stories, the authors identify the shortcomings of this new digital economy, with the hope that structural changes can be made, that may have lasting benefits for freelancers & contractors in other industries as well.

    So how will they be assured safe working and living conditions and health care and retirement? The new challenge is figuring out how society values and cares for these workers. Will it take mass labor organizing? Anyone who has worked for a startup or been part of the gig economy will recognize themselves in these stories, and realize this is not the "future of work"; this is the "current status" of work. And the paradigm needs to change.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    11 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2019
    The book is well researched, but far too many paragraphs just end in the middle of a sentence, sometimes in the middle of the opening sentence of a paragraph. This probably isn't even the authors' fault, but this is a "product review" and so I'm reviewing the product.

    E.g., a paragraph will end like this: "Due to the legal liabilities associated with 'curating a workforce,' as was discussed in" and then that's it. On to another paragraph, without finishing the sentence, without completing the thought, without any hint of a transition to the next paragraph.

    This kind of thing happens several times.
    10 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Stefan Pro
    4.0 out of 5 stars Important Points are missing
    Reviewed in Germany on January 31, 2021
    While this book overall ist very good, some points are clearly missing:
    1) The question is never asked, should this kind of work be done at all or outlawed?
    2) Child labor: Since you cannot be sure who is working for you, what about child labor?
    3) Colonialism: As stated, the ghost workers are well educated. So the intellectual elite in India is working for American firms?
    4) Health Care: the companies should be responsible for their workers, healthcare is a must!