Such an analysis has implications for our politics. It means that there is no technical solution for our current condition. We cannot simply go on a digital diet, reject the smartphones and return to nature, as posited in some deceleration arguments. Nor should we look for promises of emancipation in technological futures populated with social robots. These cultural imaginaries themselves reflect the dominant engineering approach to time saving and time ordering. Instead, the process of technical innovation and design needs to be opened up to reflect a broader range of societal realities and concerns. Rather than digital devices pushing us inexorably into a life in the fast lane, I will argue that they can be actively appropriated and recruited as an ally in our quest for time control.
Time may appear inherently egalitarian, in that everyone has just twenty-four hours in a day, seven days a week and twelve months a year, and this will remain the case in the epochs to come. However, temporal sovereignty and suficient leisure time are important indicators of a good life. How much time we have is both a crucial aspect of freedom and individual autonomy, and a measure of equality. This book is intended as a contribution to understanding the role that technology plays in the time of our lives.
Tools for Time
11