
The Oldest New Network: The Division of Cultural Labor and its Ecological Impact
Author(s) -
Toby Miller
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international review of information ethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2563-5638
DOI - 10.29173/irie183
Subject(s) - division of labour , internationalization , division (mathematics) , ecology , power (physics) , economic geography , sociology , economics , market economy , biology , international trade , arithmetic , mathematics , physics , quantum mechanics
Perhaps the most basic network in modern life is the division of labor. It certainly rates alongside family, school, and town. That inexorably leads to a discussion of how resources are allocated within this division, who exercizes power, and what happens when the network meets a seemingly natural or unnatural end. For networks that may appear extremely stable can come to abrupt or scheduled conclusions, when a company goes bankrupt or a school cohort breaks up. This article briefly examines the history of the division of labor, with particular reference to culture and to its internationalization, concluding with a brief discussion of how short-term networks can lead to the exploitation of workers and have a devastating ecological impact.