Databite No. 116: Temp | Louis Hyman in conversation with Aiha Nguyen and Alex Rosenblat

Why has work become insecure?

Data & Society welcomes historian Louis Hyman for a talk on the surprising origins of the “gig economy.” Hyman’s latest book Temp tracks the transformation of an ethos that favored long-term investment in work (and workers) to one promoting short-term returns. A series of deliberate decisions preceded the digital revolution, setting off the collapse of the postwar institutions that insulated us from volatility including big unions, big corporations, and powerful regulators. Through the experiences of those on the inside–consultants and executives, temps and office workers, line workers and migrant laborers–Temp shows how the American Dream was unmade.

This public event is the fourth in a fall conversation series at Data & Society on themes from Social Instabilities in Labor Futures, a new Data & Society research initiative that recently released the ethnographic report Beyond Disruption: How Tech Shapes Labor Across Domestic Work & Ridehailing. Joining Louis Hyman in conversation are Data & Society’s Labor Engagement Lead, Aiha Nguyen and Researcher Alex Rosenblat.

WHEN

3:30pm Doors open.

4-5pm Public talk + Q&A.

5-7pm Book Sale and Reception: snacks and sips provided.

RSVP is required to attend. Watch the livestream here.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Louis Hyman is a historian of work and business at the ILR School of Cornell University, where he also directs the Institute for Workplace Studies in New York City. He has published two books on the history of personal debt (Debtor Nation and Borrow) and a history of how American work became so insecure (Temp). Originally from Baltimore, Hyman received a BA in history and mathematics from Columbia University. A former Fulbright scholar and McKinsey associate, he received his PhD in American history from Harvard University. He is a founding editor of the Columbia Studies in the History of U.S. Capitalism book series from Columbia University Press, and the director of the History of Capitalism Summer Camp.

Aiha Nguyen is Data & Society’s Labor Engagement Lead for the research initiative Social Instabilities in Labor Futures. She bridges research and practice to expand our understanding of technological systems’ impact on work; builds the field of actors engaging on this issue; and informs policy on future of work. Aiha has over a decade of experience in advocacy, research, policy and organizing. Prior to joining Data & Society, she worked to raise standards for retail workers and addressed issues of food access at the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE). Aiha received her masters in Urban Planning from UCLA and has authored several reports, including an analysis of outsourced passenger service work at Los Angeles International airport; impact of automated self-checkout systems on public safety and jobs; and a baselines study of Orange County’s philanthropic community.

Alex Rosenblat is a technology ethnographer. A researcher at the Data & Society Research Institute, she holds an MA in sociology from Queen’s University and a BA in history from McGill University. Rosenblat’s writing has appeared in media outlets such as the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, the Atlantic, Slate, and Fast Company. Her research has received attention worldwide and has been covered in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, WIRED, New Scientist, and the Guardian. Many scholarly and professional publications have also published her prizewinning work, including the International Journal of Communication and the Columbia Law Review.

ABOUT DATA & SOCIETY

Data & Society is an independent nonprofit research institute that advances public understanding of the social implications of data-centric technologies. The Data & Society “Databites” speaker series presents timely conversations about the purpose and power of technology, bridging our interdisciplinary research with broader public conversations about the societal implications of data and automation.

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Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations or who have questions about physical access may contact events@datasociety.net in advance of the event.

Questions about Databite No. 116? Contact Data & Society Research Institute.