DMS 220 Writing Responses: Week 5. Communications & Media Essay

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DMS 220 Writing Responses: Week 5
One of the greatest inventions of all time is modern technology. Some people believe that technology in itself is evil, while others think that the people who manipulate it are the ones responsible for its nature. This paper discusses and analyzes the articles Immaterial Labor and What Should We Want From a Robot Ethic?, the movie Ex Machina (2004), and the video presentation entitled Challenging the Algorithms of Oppression. The concepts found here represent the changes brought about by modern technology and the consequences that ensued.
In Immaterial Labor, Lazzarato, as cited in Lazzarato & Paolo, argued the supremacy of immaterial labor from material labor. Immaterial labor refers to the laborer's effort that yields essential changes in big companies and industrial sectors. Moreover, it creates significant cultural content of the commodity where the activities recognized by the system are often overlooked as "work." These activities are related to fashion standards that change over time and consumer standard that is mostly influenced by cultural predilection and public opinion.
In contrast to material labor, this type is unrecognizable since it exists in society rather than in a real workplace. Generally, work and workplace are defined by intellectuality, creativity, and skills. However, immaterial labor uniquely governs employees. As stated by Lazzarato, as cited in Lazzarato & Paolo,
"The quality of this kind of labor power is thus defined not only by its professional capacities…but also by its ability to "manage" its own activity and act as the coordinator of the immaterial labor of others…."
Material and immaterial labor should be valued equally. While it is true that an employee cannot climb the ladder of success without material labor, it should also be noted that an employee will not survive a work environment without accepting the social constructs that exist within it. Treasuring the former without cherishing the latter may produce a "machine" rather than a person who understands worldly emotions that are necessary to survive in the society. A machine can only recognize superficial quality without considering the actual characteristics of an entity behind it. Hence, both of these concepts should be improved equally in a workplace with the help of the managerial system and the company administration.
The question follows when immaterial labor is solely replaced by material labor. In Asaro's article entitled, What Should We Want from A Robot Ethic?, the application of immaterial labor to modern technology, such as in robots, was elaborated. Asaro discusses the essential concepts that must be considered when talking about "ethics in robotics," which mainly involves the ethical systems inside the machines and people who designed and exploit the benefits of their use. To understand ethics, one should address all of these three. This is important since the argument against the use of robots is becoming more sophisticated that its use might not be permitted in the future. Hence, agencies responsible for their use must provide accountable rules and regulations that will not demoralize the use of robots in the future.
Often, the use of robots is feared by humans since the market tells people that robots will increase the efficiency of work definitely as compared to manual labor. While it is true that robots have higher energy than humans, it does not necessarily mean that these are more superior and effective. Humans can decide on what will yield a more ethical result, and this is not an ability that robots have. As stated by Asaro:
"A robot is given two conflicting orders by two different humans. Whom should it obey? Its owner? The more socially powerful? The one making the more ethical request?"
Hence, manual labor is still compulsory for a better output. This trepidation prevents modernization that may help society in the long run. This is why agencies must provide rules that will govern its use, and the rules must equally benefit all of the stakeholders. If it is impossible to give them equal benefits, the ability to execute compromises will be...