How Much is Too Much?

Admirably hopefully yet wildly over ambitious, it comes as no surprise that we fall miles behind the idealist expectations of 20th century economist, John Maynard Keynes. Unfortunately the idea of a 3 hour work day is something many of us can only dream of. Discussing today’s ‘accelerated society’, this chapter explores the ways in which ‘technology reconfigures time’.

For those living in privileged societies, constant access to the Internet has become an entrenched part of everyday life. As a result of this, technology is increasingly blurring the boundary between home and work. The ability to respond to emails, receive phone calls and access digital documentation at anytime, anywhere is generating a ‘porous’ relationship between weekends and weekdays, stimulating ‘on demand’ practices in modern work culture. However, this chapter also highlights that this culture is not one being experienced by everyone, as these same advances in technology bring with them new job cuts due to global outsourcing and complete automation. Therefore, whilst some people are now working more than ever in order to maintain a modest lifestyle in a hyper-consumerism society, others are struggling to find any work at all. Most applicable to this issue is of course are, us, young graduates. As a result of this, those entering university today are facing a highly competitive job market, leaving study decisions highly influenced by expected postgraduate employability rather than personal interest and preference.

Discussing a diverse range of issues surrounding 24/7 digital temporalities, this chapter fundamentally questions how efficient society should be made to become in balancing work and leisure.

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