Technologies of Consumer Labor
A History of Self-Service
Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Social Aspects, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, History
| Author: | Michael Palm | ISBN: | 9781317287193 |
| Publisher: | Taylor and Francis | Publication: | November 3, 2016 |
| Imprint: | Routledge | Language: | English |
| Author: | Michael Palm |
| ISBN: | 9781317287193 |
| Publisher: | Taylor and Francis |
| Publication: | November 3, 2016 |
| Imprint: | Routledge |
| Language: | English |
This bookdocuments and examines the history of technology used by consumers to serve oneself. The telephone’s development as a self-service technology functions as the narrative spine, beginning with the advent of rotary dialing eliminating most operator services and transforming every local connection into an instance of self-service. Today, nearly a century later, consumers manipulate 0-9 keypads on a plethora of digital machines. Throughout the book Palm employs a combination of historical, political-economic and cultural analysis to describe how the telephone keypad was absorbed into business models across media, retail and financial industries, as the interface on everyday machines including the ATM, cell phone and debit card reader. He argues that the naturalization of self-service telephony shaped consumers’ attitudes and expectations about digital technology.
This bookdocuments and examines the history of technology used by consumers to serve oneself. The telephone’s development as a self-service technology functions as the narrative spine, beginning with the advent of rotary dialing eliminating most operator services and transforming every local connection into an instance of self-service. Today, nearly a century later, consumers manipulate 0-9 keypads on a plethora of digital machines. Throughout the book Palm employs a combination of historical, political-economic and cultural analysis to describe how the telephone keypad was absorbed into business models across media, retail and financial industries, as the interface on everyday machines including the ATM, cell phone and debit card reader. He argues that the naturalization of self-service telephony shaped consumers’ attitudes and expectations about digital technology.
