The Computer is the new Sewing Machine: benefits and perils of a global information marketplace
There is increased participation by the developing world in the global manufacturing marketplace: the sewing machine in Bangladesh can be a means to support an entire family. Given a marketplace for jobs a la Amazon's Mechanical Turk, a laptop from the One Laptop Per Child project can become a modern-day sewing machine. This will spur a global information marketplace, where simple jobs (e.g., is this image porn? are these two addresses the same?) will pay anywhere from 3 to 20 dollars a day. Unlike outsourcing, which usually requires college education, competence at these tasks might be a month or even less of training.
At its best, it is a powerful bootstrap for over a billion people. At its worst, it is enslavement. How should we proceed?
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