Steemit Is The Future Of Work

in steem •  7 years ago 

What the hell does that mean?

Exactly what it says. Steemit is the future of work.

(@davedickeyyall you might need two pots of coffee for this one)

The challenge most people have is they cannot envision what is going to happen. This situation only gets compounded when you start to discuss the pace of things happening. Most get stuck in believing that they know what is going on based upon the reference points they have. Unfortunately, this is a 1980s activity. In this era, one really needs to be willing to dive deep into the rabbit hole to grasp what is happening. Since few either have the time or the willingness, we end up with people who are shocked when developments take place.

Fortunately, the future is more predictable than people think. The reason for this is simply because we live in a technological age. Major societal shifts are going to take place as a result of technological advancements.

A couple weeks back I wrote a series of articles explaining how STEEM was going to explode because of the convergence we are starting to see. There are a number of variables that are all going to occur in a short window which will have major impact. This is common in the technology world. Advancements in many areas is required over years which enable the explosion of a new technology to happen, seemingly at once.

I monitor about 15 different technologies, half of which are going to be entering everyday life in the next 5-10 years. Some are already make huge progress like renewable energy, electric vehicles, blockchain, and cloud computing. Over the next decade you can add autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, quantum chemistry, 5G, virtual reality, and drones to the list. Each of these is going to have an enormous impact upon society. Collectively, they are going to knock our socks off.

Part of the fall out of all this is the destruction of jobs. Some want to debate this subject yet they are usually ones who really are using old reference points. Most of the technology titans see what is coming. For this reason, people such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson. Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Andrew Ng all publicly support a basic income. Why do they do this? Because they see the destruction of jobs coming. Heck, it is already happening just people are not aware of it.

Did you ever hear of the Gig Economy? This is the term used to describe the freelance economy that is emerging where people essentially are independent contractors. While this sounds wonderful, the downside is that people are making less money than when they were employed without the benefits. Hence, at least in the US, people are stuck paying absurd amounts of money for medical since they have to be on individual plans. Again, this was a move that was made in the tech arena some time back so the men I just mentioned are well aware of the shortcomings of this.

So what does this all mean?

Basically, it means that society, in general, is ill prepared for what is coming. Organizations such as Morgan Stanley and the World Economic Council (two groups about as far apart on the political spectrum as you can get) who researched this all come up with the same conclusion: jobs are going away and on a large scale. Automation is coming at such a rapid pace that tens of millions of people will be affected each year.

The economic collapse ten years ago gave us a glimpse of what is going to happen. At that time, millions lost their jobs never to return to work again. For some reason we tend to view the unemployed as lazy and not wanting to work when that is usually not the case. Ironic, that some of the laziest people are those with jobs (we all know people who won't get out of their chair and walk down the hall to get an answer to a problem). Anyway, what happened to many of these people? They became a lost generation. A decade later, they are either still struggling or, in the US, were able to get on Social Security, aka forced retirement.

Forever, we espoused the merits of work. "Work hard" we were told like that is something to be proud of. Commercials and advertisement promoted this idea.

Put in a good day's work.
Support your family.
Pull yourself up by the bootstraps.
Get after it.

All espousing the "Protestant" work ethic as admirable. Work was a given in life, even if it wasn't enjoyable. Well, of course it isn't enjoyable, it is work. Enjoyable stuff is called play. And we wonder why people are so miserable.

Bills have to be paid, the only way to do that is work. Family needs feeding, can't lay around here all day.

So what happens when those jobs are gone? How do people identify work?

The truth is we are going to have to redefine what work is. We are rapidly moving past the days when one gets up in the morning, leaves the house, and goes someplace for "work" at some senseless job. The last 20 years saw the creation of many jobs, many of them pretty meaningless. Automation is starting to catch up quickly, meaning many of these jobs will be gone in 5 years. Again, what are all these people going to do?

They will be on Steemit of course!!!!

I say that partially in jest. Steemit might not be the vehicle yet the concept is applicable. Not too far down the road, we are going to see people earning incomes from sources other than traditional job. Work as we know it is going to be passe. Robotics and AI are making strides at exponential rates. We saw the devastation to the blue collar community over the course of a few decades due to robotics and automation. The destruction in the white collar realm will be much quicker because algorithms do not require dexterity. It is far easier to write software than it is to build a robot.

Fortunately, we are witnessing one of the most disruptive technologies ever invented evolve right before our eyes. The blockchain is already changing the nature of commerce. This is leading us to what is being referred to as a "tokenized" world. Under the old model, the few people at the top (and Wall Street) we able to enjoy the riches achieved off the backs of the masses. This concept is rapidly fading away. Blockchain technology is exploding. The Internet is entering all industries and, this time, it is decentralized.

Going down the rabbit hole of cryptocurrencies is a long and winding excursion. However, if you really want to grasp what is happening, dive into researching the blockchain. You will truly be amazed what you find. The world really has no idea what is about to hit it.

And for this reason, our definition of work needs to change.

No longer will the work ethic I talked about suffice. Actually, this is a blessing since for 85% of the people, it is just modern day slavery. Isn't it interesting that the only ones who are afforded "leisure" are the wealthy? When they do it, they are reaping the rewards of success; when the average person tries to have some leisure, he or she is lazy. Even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat.

Steemit and the like being the future of work means that people will earn tokens for doing things they enjoy. At present, others reap the rewards for what we do. No longer. There are projects everyday that are advancing which enable people to move in another direction. While we are at the early stages in this development, I can already see where it is heading. Blockchain dictates that. The tentacles of this technology will penetrate every aspect of commerce. As I said, dive down that rabbit hole and see what people who are a lot smarter than me are saying.

I will close with this. People seem to think that the banksters are the most powerful force in the economy, hence the hardest to take down. While they are a huge part of the economy as a sector and because they provide credit, they still are not the basic essential. The basis of any economy is electricity. Hence, the utility companies are the most powerful and, at the same due to their monopolistic state, the hardest to disrupt. They are centralized, protected, and have the infrastructure. And know what else they have? A tremendous threat from the blockchain decentralizing their entire business model.

If utility companies are in peril from this technology, every industry is. Fortunately, we are on the right side of the curve by embracing blockchain and what is can do now. We are changing the nature of work as with every word we are typing on here since we are laying the foundation for a lot more to follow.

When you go down enough rabbit holes, things start to make sense.

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Great post, the future is largely bewildering, largely like you say if we use all the dystopian economic assumptions of today we'd all be at each other's throats. Only through an enlightened pivot in assumptions and values can we all survive, the prospects are somewhat dicey. As it stands now; learn, adapt, prioritize, and network. Peace.

Great points @clumsysilverdad.

We are going to have to see a paradigm shift. There is no way for humanity to continue forward with the same mindset it operated under over the past few hundred years (actually forever but we will keep it somewhat recent).

Mankind is going to have to accept that it is giving up control, which is a wonderful thing since we did a great job screwing everything up. With technology, we are not the smartest fox in the hen house. There is something that it smarter, faster, and more reliable than the human mind.

Great Read! I cant wait to get paid for doing stuff i enjoy instead of providing value to slave based economy. Im digging this new green steemit logo aye mate.

Put in a good day's work.
Support your family.
Pull yourself up by the bootstraps.
Get after it.

These still seem admirable to me.

Working harder and smarter means more rewards which means higher quality of life and better leisure.

I don't think this will change.

Working harder and smarter means more rewards which means higher quality of life and better leisure.

Does it really?

Tell that to the person working in the inner city at some fast food place.
Or tell that to the poor farmer in the Phillipines plowing a field with a mule and a plow.
Or you can tell that the market analyst who just lost his job to an algorithm.
Or the insurance adjuster who is going to be automated out.

If any of those people are not satisfied with their quality of life, I tell them, take a step back, be smart, use what you have to change your situation.

That's what working smarter would mean for them.

That may not be easy, which is where hard work and discipline come in.

I think you are right when talking about the massive disruption blockchain will make in our lives (and is already doing).

About the jobs, well usually technology tends to destroy jobs and create others. The internet was a perfect job destroyer while simultaneously also being a job creator. Maybe this time the same could happen.

I am writing a comparison between the Land Rush that happened in America in 1889 and the actual “Crypto Rush” we are seeing right before our eyes. I believe they are both similar historical events. The first one ended up with an explosion in prosperity. And the second one I think will end up the same.

The world is changing very fast, and we need to change with it so we are not left behind.

It is true in the past technology created new jobs while destroying others..and that is what the dissenters hang their hat on.

The problem with that view is two-fold.

To start, the pace of this change is simply astounding. That is what people are not prepared for.

The second is the problem of the transferring of skills. When we went from agriculture to industrial, you could take a guy from a field, put him on an assembly line, train him for 5 minutes and he could work. Today, we are seeing a huge move into technology which means a major foundation in computers, programming, mathematics, and the sciences. This is something many do not have. How do you take paralegals, customer service reps, sales people, and accountants and turn them into blockchain app developers?

I will be interested to read about your comparison...that is very interesting.

But do you think is sustainable to have world where the majority of the population is subsided or living off things like steemit as you said?

I get we are living an era of big changes, but I am not sure how would the affect our daily lives.

I mean, history has taught us that technology always improve lives and creates even more jobs than the ones destroyed.

Of course it is sustainable. My next article is going to explain what few people realize about the power of the Internet and where it is going.

As for the daily lives, that is a question. I am sure it will depend upon the individual. Some will take it well, others not so well. Change is really difficult for many people.

I mean, history has taught us that technology always improve lives and creates even more jobs than the ones destroyed.

That is true and what people hang their hat on. One thing about history it is true...until it is not.

Never has the housing market in the US went down more than 10%. That was the mantra in 2006....by 2009, that was no longer true.

Never before in history have we see the development of neural networking. Nor have we seen entire industries upended in only a few years. What took decades before now can happen in 3 years. Companies like Google and Facebook create revenues using a fraction of the employees that it took for a traditional company to achieve the same results.

Speed and advanced skillset required are the two main reasons why I believe this time is different.

Very interesing. I love rabbit holes (not in the literal sense of course, hah!). I knew about cryptocurrency since 2011 and never dived into it, feeling like I didn't need t
It to do my life. Just one of those things that's out there that exists without me needing to be a part of it. Then I met a classmate this past semester who's really into it and introduced me to steemit. And now I'm realizing just how important this is... Like many things I fear that it's not happening fast enough , ironically. However, what I see different in the blockchain compared to all other technology is this; through programmed obsolescence, centralization, and the drive for profit, many if not all technological advances are slowed down. Heck, a light bulb used to last hundreds of years before it was engineered to last only a 1000 hours. But blockchain simply cannot be slowed down by money! Can it? I don't see how. It's a whole other form of monetizing the world, and it's incredible! I barely know anything about it, and I'm eager to learn more. 2018 will be the year I dive into this very interesting rabbit hole. Here I come!! Haha

Thank you for your comment @closetjean.

You are 1000% correct how technological advancements were slowed down by being under the watchful eye of corporations. The fact we are seeing such a move to decentralization means that innovation will explode. Humanity fell behind the last 20 years when it should have been moving ahead. It is now time to play catch up to the innovation curve.

Blockchain cannot be slowed down by anything because it is really the Internet (as explained in the post I just put up) that is doing it and the Internet operates at an accelerated pace when it is put into motion.

Right!!

Once we get to the point where we are living in an abundance economy rather than a scarcity economy everyone should be free to do what they enjoy and make a living wage. Steemit is just one piece of that puzzle. In the future we could see people getting paid in tokens for doing basic things. What about healthcare tokens for allowing health data to be collected and utilized in a decentralized ledger? How about food credits/coins/tokens for providing retail shopping data or consumption data? What happens if we solve the energy problem and finally get off fossil fuels so we have free (or nearly free) electricity for all?

Of course there will still be new problems to be solved, but by freeing up so much of humanities time and brain power it's likely these problems could get solved even more quickly.

Personally I've only just begun with Steemit, but have been part of the "gig" economy for seven years already. I can see the huge potential waiting for us here and in related projects such as DTube.

The future is coming at us faster than we can imagine, and humans will need to flex their dominant trait - the ability to adapt - very rapidly and powerfully. This will almost certainly lead to another massive evolutionary shift, and one that leaves the world and the human race much better off.

Thank you for your post @moneyinfant.

You understand what is going on having lived it for so long. The health data is absolutely just one other idea. As are solar tokens. Exercise tokens. Proper nutrition tokens. TV watching tokens. Porn tokens. You name it.

Look at my reply to calatorulmiop above...there is a link in there for a basic income program that starts distribution next month. I believe you understand the path that is being taken and how that is a bridge to the ultimately state referred to in your comment.

Awesome project going on at Mannabase from what I saw. I signed up to get in and learn more, because it could be huge in alleviating poverty, not just overseas, but right here at home.

Looks like a lot of work needs to be done still with the coin - $300k market cap is tiny. And just one exchange.

Of course the exchanges are another piece of the puzzle in the crypto space. A solution for exchanging and spending coins seamlessly has yet to be developed. Something like Shapeshift, but with atomic swaps for most if not all coins. Decentralized, and with something like a debit card that can be used anywhere cash is used.

The marketcap is incorrect since there are more coins distributed than what they are showing.

Nevertheless, the hiatus really allowed them to clean up some matter...we should see the switch from GRT to MAN or MANN soon...only two exchanges trade it.

As all of these we will see where it goes but it is a project I believe in.

Thanks for supporting it @moneyinfant.

It's an ambitious and potentially historical project. One that is easy to get behind and believe in given the problem it seeks to address.

I truly believe that crypto and steemit can give me the financial freedom I need to work from home and leave my traditional job behind. I like many am kicking myself we didn't invest when we first heard of it but you are correct things are changing and we haven't missed the boat, we may just have to work harder or wait longer.

I agree we might be seeing a totally different definition of work for most people, I still think certain jobs are going to be around for a while longer, but I think we are already starting to see more and more people make their living doing what they love and enjoy online. It's really starting to get exciting, but there are still so many unknowns about how we are going to get there.

I might have to dive down the rabbit hole when I get a chance

Or keep reading my posts since I love in the rabbit hole. 😁

So you'll do the work for me?
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My own thoughts are along similar lines as well. With talks of universal basic income, and crypto making it's way onto the scene I've sometimes wondered if crypto could replace the basic income idea altogether.

With Basic Attention token paying you for your attention, IOTA for selling your (vehicular, mobile phone, etc.) data, Steem/D-Tube for earning through content, etc. there will be many avenues with which one can earn money.

Perhaps in the future it doesn't matter what you do, as long as there is enough people with enough appreciation for it to give it value (if only through their attention). The more you contribute to the world, the more people you touch, the higher your payout. It's weird, but it also makes sense in a way, to have things work that way.

Maybe a basic income will be there and this kind of income is on top of that? Or perhaps with this kind of income, a basic income is no longer necessary?

Ultimately I think the basic income will not be necessary at some point but that is down the road. There is going to be a period where the basic income is required to get to the point we are discussing. That is why I got involved in the manna project myself.....I see there will be a time, perhaps a decade or more, where a bridge is required..

And yes we are moving towards the attention economy. This is what is going to be rewarded...people will be paid for where they focus their time and attention.

Many are still holding onto the old paradigm.

Well, if SBD prices remain this high.. who needs basic income?
I'm not even a really well earning Steemian, but these past weeks the payout has been really friggin' high even for my small 1-2$ posts. I'm pretty sure some people who are earning better on Steemit are already getting a basic income out of this. It may be closer than we all think.. what if it's here right now? And we're the first adopters?

Very true @pandorasbox.

I am using the high SBD to power up as quickly as I can. My original target of $100 STEEM in 2018 still holds.

I am not sure what drove SBD up nor if it will stay that but am taking advantage of it while I can.

I agree with you. Already this hour many earn on Steemit more than on official work. This month it will concern me. And that's fine. It's great that we live at a time when a person can find additional income without leaving his home. I can assume that Steemit has people with disabilities who are very comfortable working here. We are with you, happy witnesses of this fascinating time. Good luck to you and good.

Я с Вами согласен. Уже сей час многие зарабатывают на Steemit больше, чем на официальной работе. В этом месяце это будет касаться и меня. И это прекрасно. Прекрасно то, что мы живем в то время, когда человек может найти себе дополнительный доход, не выходя со своего дома. Я могу предположить, что на Steemit есть люди с ограниченными способностями организма, которым очень удобно работать здесь. Мы с Вами, счастливые свидетели этого увлекательного времени. Удачи Вам и добра.

In order for people to make a living out of doing what they love I think universal basic income is a must because it offers a safety net if they are not successful in their endeavors. But I find it very difficult to imagine how UBI will be implemented because it could be use for political purposes like, for example, raising the minimum wage and pensions are used, which I find utterly revolting but it is a reality.

That is old thinking.

Here is how it is implemented...distributions start next month:
https://www.mannabase.com/?ref=fbt5zz3bfh

Manna is a cryptocurrency that was designed to be a basic income. That is its purpose...to eliminate poverty. No need to involve the politicians who will spend decades arguing about it. No need to engage in battles how to pay for it...and no need to increase the power of the state over people.

Sign up and and then refer everyone you know....basic income is already knocking at the door if people want it.

Thanks for the tip man, I definitely signing up. It's not clear from their website how are they raising funds for this and where will the money come from.

The currency is already traded under GRT.

They had a trial for over a year of distributing the token before ceasing it in Sept to make the switch over. It will start back up in January.

They are going to have a crowdsourcing in the Spring I believe....so there is a lot happening.

For now, we are focusing upon getting the network effect going as much as possible which means spreading the word and getting people to sign up to get wallets (available in the next week or so).

It is just another project that is going to change the present paradigm we are living in.

I really hope so, but it still sounds Sci-fi to me :)) I guess I still have a lot to learn.
P.s Your referral link is kind of strange because I don't have anywhere to sign up :) and I would like to use your link as thank you.

Sorry about that...here is the proper link.

Just enter your email.

https://www.mannabase.com/?ref=fbt5zz3bfh

Thanks man. Have you done a post about this? because I'm thinking of doing one after I learn more about how it works.

I have and will do more....but the more articles the better. This is an important project in my view so getting the word out is crucial. This is a co-operative effort, not competitive.

Just be sure to use your referral code in your article not mine.

The referral code allows you to be in the bonus pool for each person you refer. It gives you extra coins on each distribution for the period of one year after the person signs up...and this is only on direct referrals....no mlm 5 levels deep stuff.

This is so true, blockchain and other disruptive technologies will have such an impact on the world that our way of thinking about economics is going to change fundamentally. We'll have to experiment and see what works. Some of these experiments will become huge and successfull parts of our daily lives (like blogging for crypto) and others will be replaced by better alternatives.

One thing is certain, dinosaurs go extinct. Don't be like a dinosaur.

Wait until people start learning about DAOs....that will really freak them out.

A company with no people at all?

I can hear the screams of the terminator scenario.

Well, companies without idiotic management teams(who will probably always make decisions for short term profits), but instead just acting out a pre-set long term sustainable goal seems like heaven to me.

Let the ignorant rant and scream, I'm looking forward to a bright future.

I agree with you@fitzgibbon.

One of these days I am going to write how humans simply cannot handle having power and that it needs to hand control off to something that can. We are not intelligent beings but emotional ones. We hold onto beliefs, ideas, and ideologies which stir emotion of which we base decisions upon.

That is why humans make so many poor choices...in business and in person lives.

Is blockchain the future of social media?
Steemit is probably the most well-known example so far ; I think, so far, people are enjoying both the social and the rewards side of the platform.

In my view, blockchain is the future of everything, just like networks because the future when the internet was introduced.

Most of the world's commerce will end up on blockchain in 10 years or so.

I think most of the internet will be run on the blockchain in 10 years.

Power Ledger is disrupting electricity generation and distribution, using a blockchain for peer 2 peer sale of solar-generated electricity here in Australia.

Steemit is not only for bloggers , it can use for multipurposes like we can make a post on steemit for advertisement or we can use it as freelancer sites like upwork.com , freelancer.com.....hire developer for part time jobs and we can directly pay them in steem ..there are many things we can do here ....It will provide lot of employment opportunity to freelancers.. Steemit is more than what we think...it is going to explode in future...(sorry for my english)

For a while, frankly, I have been asking myself why I should remain in my banking job which offers me less than what I make monthly from cryptocurrency trading. What then is the relevance of keeping jobs?

Capitalists like Bill Gates, Dangote, Jeff Besoz, Trump, etc will always fight these alternative online income sources because they want to keep the hopeless workers to expand their empire.

The future is now predictable than before. Thanks for this insightful article. Steemit is the new job.

It is interesting you say electricity is the basis of any economy.

That is very true - you only have to look at any of the dystopian scenarios offered up in fictional works where an EMP event has knocked out the power grids to see how dependent we are.

Of course individuals, with enough resources and know-how, can go off-grid - an act of total rebellion perhaps.

I can't even tell you how thankful I am to be part of Steemit!!!! The Blockchain is a true Blessing! :D

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Ok! Is this where the future is heading to! Now i understand where we are going.down in my own country, automation not only will going to make many loose their job but also we have started experiencing it.ok! Ok!!.really ,i have seen what you are showing the world.thanks for this informative and educative post.

Amazing post. People in their minds still live in industrial age. The problem is also that technology is far more advance than society. On that topic I will recommend a book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki.

I think it might be the future

I agree with your post ... I like your post ... the world is changing, hopefully change does not wipe away prosperity and we do not miss ...

The world is really changing very fast and I think electronic currencies are the future of the world
But I doubt that wars will happen because of them and this is for the high prices
Just keep me Ray

Bagus sekali saya suka

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i read this post!
Thanks for shared a post about cryptocurrency....very good information have this post

yup .. i agree with you completely.....
very interesting post...
thanks for sharing it...
upvoted and followed..!!!

Amazing post my friend

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