In a way, I always thought of DoorDash, InstaCart, and the like just a form of distributed servanthood.
I've used groc delivery services back when Kalanick was still sucking the tit - for nutrients, not pleasure. Back then, this was a respectable job. It still is if you go to Aruba and order from Superfoods, but that's one of the few places on the west end of the Atlantic where that format still exists, to my knowledge.
Right now, demand for these services through "gig" platforms do help a bunch of people getting a little better off. It's not enough, and it would be better if they get a real job with all the benefits that come with it, but I don't think that that's in the cards for that industry. Instead I expect robotization to invade and take these jobs.
The real problem I perceive: where will the people that profit from this now get their next gig?
I've used groc delivery services back when Kalanick was still sucking the tit - for nutrients, not pleasure. Back then, this was a respectable job. It still is if you go to Aruba and order from Superfoods, but that's one of the few places on the west end of the Atlantic where that format still exists, to my knowledge.
Right now, demand for these services through "gig" platforms do help a bunch of people getting a little better off. It's not enough, and it would be better if they get a real job with all the benefits that come with it, but I don't think that that's in the cards for that industry. Instead I expect robotization to invade and take these jobs.
The real problem I perceive: where will the people that profit from this now get their next gig?