Imagining the (Distant) Future of Work

Abstract

Across two datasets-a corpus of 485 print media articles and a multiactor survey of Tech/Innovation experts, Authors/Journalists, Economy/Labor Market experts, Policy Makers/Public Administrators, and Engaged Citizens (N=570)-we build the case that the future of work is a fiction, not a fact; or better yet, a series of competing fictions prescribing what the future will or should look like. Using an abductive and curiositydriven mixed-method analysis process we demonstrate that different narratives about the future of work stand in direct relation to specific actors in the public debate, both through framing tactics used by narrators in the media, and through political and dispositional processes of narrative subscription. From these findings, we infer that research on the future of work is in need of a paradigm shift: from 'predictions' to 'imaginaries'. This, we argue, will help counter deterministic and depoliticized understandings of the future of work. We propose an integration of theory around framing contests, field frames, narrative subscription, and corresponsive mechanisms to offer a plausible account of our empirical discoveries and develop an agenda for further research. As the practical implications of our research show, the future of work does not need to be something that happens 'to us'-instead, the future can be what we 'make it'.

Can Digitally Transformed Work Be Virtuous?

“…The future of digital work is not so much a fact as the result of conflicting narratives dependent on diverse economic, social, and political interests (Dries et al 2023). Nonetheless, we seek to position ourselves regarding the aptitude of digitally transformed work for virtue as follows.…”

“…An important motivation, therefore, besides discovering the features of virtuous, digitally transformed work, is to extend these virtue-promoting conditions to those on the losing end. Thus we hope to contribute to "making the future of work" virtuous, instead of just waiting for it to happen (Dries et al 2023).…”