Hi,
I am yet to do my intervention. I am going to do it tomorrow night (in Slough's greatest attraction - Britain's biggest 24/7 Supermarket) , which will probably make it less busy because it is a weekday, however this may actually be beneficial because it demonstrates that weekdays are also becoming 24/7'inised, not just weekends!
The book I was telling everyone to read was Leon Kreitzman - "The 24 hour society" which justifies societies needs for 24/7 society. In essence he explains that rather than inhibiting the consumer, capitalism has enhanced the consumers ability to demand anything at any time. I found this book much more nuanced and balanced than Faster/McCreary - however maybe I am biased.
After recapping all the posts (for the essay), I found it very interesting that a large portion of the posts were submitted early in the morning, similar to the hours in which we exchanged emails.
In the essay I planned to justify the 24/7 society, although I think I would have to acknowledge the downsides. However, I don't think this belittles our intervention, rather our intervention was to expose the change and the invisibles in society.
What did you guys think of the 24/7 society?
My essay is going to be more or less firmly anti-24/7 society. Maybe I need to read Kreitzman's book to gain the full nuance of his argument, but from what you've said and what i've seen online - surely the 24/7 society is only good for a small chunk of the world? the 10% or whatever that can now come back from their long hours at the well-paid job and spend, spend, spend. What about the swathes of people ('invisibles'?) who now have to mould their sleeping patterns to where the jobs are... i.e. amazon, supermarkets etc. the people who are serving those consumers 'liberated' from pesky opening/closing hours?
ReplyDeleteYeah its definitely true, I guess rather than a 24/7 society a 16 hour society would suit. I completely understand your argument that many people are literally forced into some form of income for subsistence, which can be night-shifts. I think their should also be more awareness of the repercussions of night-shifts and more lenient working conditions I guess.
ReplyDeleteCain, would you ban night shifts?
ReplyDeleteI am also against 24 hr society, already throughout the man-made 9-5pm people go crazy and also not just work but most of our important chores or time is set to do certain things already exists, so bringing 24 hr society into practice wouldn't be beneficial. On that note, it's more about people really need to get some proper sleep.
ReplyDeleteNight shifts are torturous, but people earn more money hence they work in some cases.
ReplyDeleteHi, yes I've taken quite a negative stance towards the 24/7 society as well, but you're right in saying that (though it seems a negative stance on the subject) our project is more of an exposure type project than anything else. I seem to think that this 24/7 society has both ups and downs (as most things in life do) but that, ultimately, the costs of the 24/7 society outweigh its benefits and that, with reference to sleep, it has negative effects. More and more people are having sleep problems, more and more people are getting stressed on the night shifts etc... but I certainly won't argue that night life is 'wrong'. Good luck with the essay by the way!
ReplyDeleteIts really difficult, as I said a 16 hour society would be ideal, in which night shifts arn't too strenuous. It seems like a middle ground.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me the most pressing issue is the helpless workers who are forced into night-shifts because they get paid more for it per-hour and have no other opportunities.
I have worked night-shifts for 2-3 weeks when I was stock-taking my Homebase store, they paid me an extra £2 an hour I think.
ReplyDelete