Sarah O Connor's Amazon Unpacked

Technique, discussed by James Ellul in The Technological Society, is an ideological mode of thinking or problem solving with two main goals in mind, rationalization and efficiency. Ellul defines technique as “[integrating the machine into society… it constructs the kind of world the machine needs and introduces order… It clarifies, arranges, rationalizes… Technique is sparing in the use of machines… It places machines exactly where they ought to be and requires of them just what they ought to do.” In other words, technique arranges society to the “one best way” of doing a task, having absolute efficiency in every field of human activity. Often, technique and technology go hand in hand because of the efficient nature of technology. However, when analyzing technique, it can be determined that in the pursuit of rationalization and efficiency there are implications, or something must be sacrificed. In Amazon Unpacked, by Sarah O’Connor, O’Connor identifies several
In pursuit of the most cost effective system, Amazon employs Randstad. As seen earlier, this leads to job insecurity, which leads to more technical problems in which Amazon solves with technical solutions. Workers work tirelessly: wearing boots that give them blisters, 12-hour night shifts, losing weight because of the physically demanding jobs (O’Connor). As their productivity begins to deteriorate, Amazon recognizes this, and brings in a technical solution to force workers back on track. Amazon uses handheld satnav computers which “calculate the most efficient walking route…measuring their productivity in real time” (O’Connor 1,4). Unfortunately, however efficient this technical solution might be it comes at the cost of the workers’ health and wellbeing because it pushes the employees to their absolute limit in a strenuous job position. The technical solutions only perpetuate an ongoing cycle of more technical