文/朱莉婭·泰科納 譯/鄭玢

Damon, who works full-time at an upscale hotel and part-time at a burger joint in Washington, DC, gets his weekly schedules through texts from his managers, often with last-minute requests to come in to cover for missing coworkers.To make sure he can receive these messages, Damon juggles1juggle 盡力同時(shí)應(yīng)付（兩個(gè)以上的重要工作或活動(dòng)）。two basically broken low-end smartphones, one with a shattered screen and another that turns on and off unpredictably when he tries to use it.“I’m waiting on my next check so I can get another phone,” he told me.Meanwhile, he’s using stagnant wages to purchase a phone that’s functionally a workplace requirement, all just to keep the jobs he has now.

戴蒙在華盛頓特區(qū)的一家高檔酒店全職工作，也在一家漢堡店做兼職。他通過(guò)經(jīng)理發(fā)來(lái)的短信獲知每周的工作安排，而短信內(nèi)容經(jīng)常是臨時(shí)要求他來(lái)代失聯(lián)同事的班。為了確保能收到信息，戴蒙得費(fèi)勁地?cái)[弄兩部基本壞掉的低端智能手機(jī)，一部屏幕碎了，另一部用起來(lái)，說(shuō)不準(zhǔn)什么時(shí)候就自動(dòng)開(kāi)關(guān)機(jī)。他告訴我：“我正盼著馬上要發(fā)的工資，到時(shí)就能換一部手機(jī)?！蓖瑫r(shí)，他打算用死活不漲的工資買(mǎi)一部工作必需的手機(jī)，這么做只是為了保住他現(xiàn)在的工作。

2Science fiction author William Gibson famously said that the future is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed.Smartphones and on-the-go internet access have made many of our working lives more efficient and flexible.But the requirement for constant connectivity isn’t only a fact of whitecollar work—it has spread to workers up and down the income ladder.And while the requirement has spread, the resources that workers need to maintain it are not evenly distributed.Today, more than a quarter of low-income Americans depend solely on their phones for internet access.Amid historic levels of income inequality, phones and data plans have become an increasingly costly burden on those who have the least to spare.

2科幻小說(shuō)家威廉·吉布森有句名言：未來(lái)早已到來(lái)，只是尚未均勻分布。智能手機(jī)和隨時(shí)隨地接入的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)使我們?cè)诖蟛糠值墓ぷ鲿r(shí)間里更加高效和靈活。但是，保持聯(lián)網(wǎng)的要求不僅針對(duì)白領(lǐng)，而是波及各個(gè)收入階層，無(wú)論高低。雖然這種要求已得到普及，但勞動(dòng)者為長(zhǎng)期符合這種要求所需的資源并不是平均分配的。今天，超過(guò)四分之一的低收入美國(guó)人只能依賴(lài)手機(jī)上網(wǎng)。在收入不平等程度達(dá)到歷史最高的情況下，手機(jī)和流量套餐對(duì)于兜里所剩無(wú)幾的人來(lái)說(shuō)，已成為越來(lái)越沉重的負(fù)擔(dān)。

3Through interviews with precarious workers across the country, I’ve found that connectivity to the internet is increasingly required to manage many different types of jobs in parts of lowwage labor markets far beyond “gig economy2gig economy 零工經(jīng)濟(jì)，指由工作量不多的自由職業(yè)者構(gòu)成的經(jīng)濟(jì)領(lǐng)域。零工經(jīng)濟(jì)利用互聯(lián)網(wǎng)和移動(dòng)技術(shù)快速匹配供需方，主要包括群體工作和經(jīng)應(yīng)用程序接洽的按需工作兩種方式?！?apps like Uber and Postmates.In ignoring these hidden kinds of connectivity, we don’t see their mounting costs, and the consequences for marginalized people.The requirement to maintain their connectivity constitutes a kind of new tax on low-wage workers.And well-meaning interventions focused on closing the digital divide3digital divide 數(shù)字鴻溝，指在全球數(shù)字化進(jìn)程中，不同國(guó)家、地區(qū)、行業(yè)、企業(yè)、社區(qū)之間，由于對(duì)信息、網(wǎng)絡(luò)技術(shù)的擁有程度、應(yīng)用程度以及創(chuàng)新能力的差別而造成的信息落差及貧富進(jìn)一步兩極分化的趨勢(shì)。haven’t addressed the powerful interests at work keeping it open.

3通過(guò)采訪全國(guó)各地收入不穩(wěn)定的勞動(dòng)者，我發(fā)現(xiàn)在部分低薪勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)，完成許多不同類(lèi)型的工作對(duì)聯(lián)網(wǎng)的要求越來(lái)越高，而且遠(yuǎn)不止使用優(yōu)步和Postmates 等“零工經(jīng)濟(jì)”應(yīng)用程序。由于忽視了這類(lèi)隱藏的聯(lián)網(wǎng)方式，我們沒(méi)有看到它們不斷增加的成本，以及給邊緣人群帶來(lái)的影響。保持聯(lián)網(wǎng)的要求構(gòu)成了針對(duì)低薪勞動(dòng)人群的新稅種。然而，致力于縮小數(shù)字鴻溝的善意干預(yù)措施，并沒(méi)有觸及維護(hù)數(shù)字鴻溝的強(qiáng)大利益集團(tuán)。

4The high costs of connectivity represent an increasingly large slice of household incomes for low-wage workers.Even though maintaining these connections has become necessary for many low-wage workers, their incomes have not kept pace.According to 2020 numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, those in the lowest 20 percent of income earners spent $150 more a year on their cell phones than they did in 2016.The cost of connectivity represents more than half of what these households spent on electricity, and nearly 80 percent of what they paid for gas.As a proportion of household income, the lowest earners spent four times more on phones than high earners.With inflation looming, these issues are likely to get worse before they get better.

4高昂的聯(lián)網(wǎng)費(fèi)用在低薪勞動(dòng)者家庭收入中的占比與日俱增。盡管保持聯(lián)網(wǎng)對(duì)許多低薪勞動(dòng)者來(lái)說(shuō)是必要的，但他們的收入?yún)s沒(méi)有跟上。美國(guó)勞工統(tǒng)計(jì)局2020 年的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，收入最低的那20%的人，每年花在手機(jī)上的錢(qián)比2016 年多了150 美元。聯(lián)網(wǎng)費(fèi)用相當(dāng)于這類(lèi)家庭一半以上的電費(fèi)支出，以及近八成的天然氣費(fèi)用。從在家庭收入中的占比來(lái)看，收入最低人群花在手機(jī)上的費(fèi)用是高收入人群的4 倍。通貨膨脹迫在眉睫，這些問(wèn)題只會(huì)惡化，而不會(huì)好轉(zhuǎn)。

5While these gaps in spending might be predictable, they’re not inevitable.As connectivity has become increasingly mandatory for low-wage workers, phone companies catering to this market segment have profited by engaging in predatory inclusion.As Louise Seamster and Rapha?l Charron-Chénier explain, these forms of inclusion offer access to goods that marginalized groups had previously been excluded from but on terms that ultimately undercut the benefits of access.Consumers that previously couldn’t afford the high up-front costs of buying a smartphone,or whose unpredictable incomes meant annual contracts were out of reach, can now get access to a smartphone and data plan with less-than-perfect credit,but under exploitative conditions that make connectivity more expensive.Black consumers are particularly targeted for these forms of inclusion, as systemic discrimination in labor, housing,and financial services have created gaps in credit scores that make prepaid and phone rentals nearly the only option.

5支出的差距或許可以預(yù)見(jiàn)，但并非不可避免。隨著聯(lián)網(wǎng)對(duì)低薪勞動(dòng)者來(lái)說(shuō)越來(lái)越具強(qiáng)制性，服務(wù)于這一細(xì)分市場(chǎng)的通信公司通過(guò)“掠奪性包容”從中牟利。正如路易絲·西姆斯特和拉斐爾·查倫-謝尼埃所解釋的，這些形式的包容使邊緣群體得以獲取以前不可及的商品，但這種包容是有代價(jià)的，可及性的福利最終會(huì)被削弱。有的消費(fèi)者以前無(wú)法負(fù)擔(dān)購(gòu)買(mǎi)智能手機(jī)的高額預(yù)付費(fèi)用，還有的因收入不穩(wěn)定而無(wú)法購(gòu)買(mǎi)按年繳費(fèi)的合約機(jī)，他們現(xiàn)在可以憑借不盡如人意的信用評(píng)分買(mǎi)到智能手機(jī)和流量套餐，但剝削性條款使聯(lián)網(wǎng)費(fèi)用更加昂貴。掠奪性包容格外針對(duì)黑人消費(fèi)者，因?yàn)樗麄冊(cè)诠ぷ?、住房和金融服?wù)方面受到的系統(tǒng)性歧視造成了信用評(píng)分的差距，預(yù)付費(fèi)和租賃手機(jī)幾乎成為他們唯一的選擇。

6In 2019, New York City sued T-Mobile for a host of violations of consumer rights, including enrolling people into third-party financing through companies like SmartPay, which split payments up over time through rental agreements,but ultimately add hundreds of dollars onto advertised prices, without full explanations of the terms—eventually ruining people’s credit.Phone leasing programs and their opaque terms of service have also resulted in other legal actions (for example, Sprint is facing a class action suit over similar issues).These actions have taken place against a backdrop of consolidation in the mobile phone market, as Sprint and T-Mobile,two companies that had previously competed for low-income consumers,have merged, raising concerns about rising costs in the future.

62019 年，紐約市就一系列侵犯消費(fèi)者權(quán)益的行為起訴T-Mobile 公司，包括通過(guò)支付服務(wù)提供商SmartPay 等公司讓人們參與第三方融資。這類(lèi)公司的租賃協(xié)議允許消費(fèi)者在一定時(shí)間內(nèi)分期付款，但最終會(huì)在廣告所宣傳的價(jià)格上增加數(shù)百美元，且不會(huì)對(duì)相關(guān)條款進(jìn)行充分解釋——最終摧毀了人們的信用記錄。手機(jī)租賃項(xiàng)目及其不透明的服務(wù)條款還引發(fā)了其他法律訴訟（例如，美國(guó)移動(dòng)運(yùn)營(yíng)商斯普林特公司正因類(lèi)似問(wèn)題面臨集體訴訟）。上述行為是在移動(dòng)電話(huà)市場(chǎng)整合的背景下發(fā)生的，比如以前爭(zhēng)奪低收入消費(fèi)群體市場(chǎng)的斯普林特公司和T-Mobile 公司現(xiàn)已合并，這引起了人們對(duì)未來(lái)通信成本上升的擔(dān)憂(yōu)。

7Being poor isn’t only expensive because of the unfair financial terms,but also because of the work it takes to overcome disconnection.From juggling broken phones, borrowing money to pay bills, and, when all else fails, finding free sources of internet, the tenuous grasp these workers have on connectivity is maintained through constant effort.Many rely on coffee shops and fastfood joints in their neighborhoods and throughout their commutes, facing racist threats and harassment from managers and even the police while trying to swap a shift through an app, download music for a long shift, or text their boss that they were running late.The costs of this labor can’t be measured in dollars, but they add to the cognitive burden of being poor.From the extra work it takes to stay connected, to the exploitative landscape of mobile phone financing, the costs of connectivity represent a significant burden on households that are still struggling with the effects of the pandemic economy.

7貧窮就要付出高昂代價(jià)，這不僅因?yàn)椴还降慕鹑跅l款，還因?yàn)橐M(fèi)勁避免斷網(wǎng)。擺弄壞掉的手機(jī)、借錢(qián)支付賬單，以及別無(wú)他法時(shí)尋找免費(fèi)的網(wǎng)絡(luò)資源——?jiǎng)趧?dòng)者們?yōu)榱四芫S持脆弱的網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接而不斷努力。許多人依賴(lài)附近的咖啡館和快餐店，在通勤途中全程蹭網(wǎng)。在他們?cè)噲D通過(guò)應(yīng)用程序換班、為長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的輪班工作下載音樂(lè)，或給老板發(fā)短信說(shuō)他們要遲到了時(shí)，他們面臨來(lái)自經(jīng)理甚至警察的種族主義威脅和騷擾。這種勞動(dòng)的成本無(wú)法用金錢(qián)來(lái)衡量，但加劇了窮人的認(rèn)知負(fù)擔(dān)。從聯(lián)網(wǎng)所需的額外工作，到移動(dòng)電話(huà)資費(fèi)的剝削現(xiàn)象，聯(lián)網(wǎng)的成本對(duì)仍在努力應(yīng)對(duì)疫情所致經(jīng)濟(jì)沖擊的家庭來(lái)說(shuō)是一副重?fù)?dān)。

8We now face a critical moment in the fight for equitable connectivity.With the passage of the Biden administration’s historic infrastructure bill,home internet access has taken center stage in defining connectivity.This is an important, but ultimately narrow way of understanding inequalities in access.Many people who may not have internet access at home are still using the internet on their phones, either with or without connections to mobile data plans.These populations, so often seen as being on the “wrong side” of the so-called digital divide, aren’t disconnected at all.

8我們現(xiàn)在迎來(lái)了爭(zhēng)取公平聯(lián)網(wǎng)的關(guān)鍵時(shí)刻。隨著拜登政府通過(guò)了歷史性的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施建設(shè)法案，聯(lián)網(wǎng)入戶(hù)已成為聯(lián)網(wǎng)這一概念的核心。如此理解聯(lián)網(wǎng)的不平等固然重要，但本質(zhì)上還是狹隘的。許多人可能在家里無(wú)法聯(lián)網(wǎng)，而仍在用手機(jī)上網(wǎng)，無(wú)論是否選擇使用移動(dòng)數(shù)據(jù)。這群人常常被視為處于所謂數(shù)字鴻溝中“不利的一面”，但他們根本沒(méi)有斷網(wǎng)。

9We should also be thinking about improving the ways many Americans are already accessing the internet,through ensuring equity in mobile connectivity.This could mean renewed support for federal programs like the FCC’s Lifeline Program, which offers modest subsidies to phone companies to connect low-income households.It should also include more robust consumer protections and market regulation to ensure that efforts to get more people connected don’t lead to forms of predatory inclusion.Finally, those that benefit from this connectivity should also pay for it.Employers of low-wage workers who depend on texting their employees or expect them to manage their schedules through an app must recognize their role in requiring phones and subsidize them.These efforts will require us to reframe the way we see smartphones—not as a luxury but as a necessity—in order to stop connectivity from deepening inequality.■

9我們還應(yīng)該考慮通過(guò)確保手機(jī)端的公平聯(lián)網(wǎng)，改善許多美國(guó)人正在使用的聯(lián)網(wǎng)方式。這可能意味著重新支持聯(lián)邦項(xiàng)目，如美國(guó)聯(lián)邦通信委員會(huì)的“生命線(xiàn)”項(xiàng)目，該項(xiàng)目向通信公司提供適度的補(bǔ)貼，以幫助低收入家庭聯(lián)網(wǎng)。該項(xiàng)目還應(yīng)該包括實(shí)施更有力的消費(fèi)者保護(hù)和市場(chǎng)監(jiān)管措施，以確保讓更多人聯(lián)網(wǎng)的努力不會(huì)變成掠奪性包容。最后，從低收入群體聯(lián)網(wǎng)行為中牟利的人也應(yīng)該付出代價(jià)。依靠短信聯(lián)系手下低薪員工或期望他們通過(guò)應(yīng)用程序自行管理日程的雇主，必須認(rèn)識(shí)到自己要求員工使用手機(jī)會(huì)產(chǎn)生何種影響，也必須給員工發(fā)放補(bǔ)貼。上述努力將要求我們重構(gòu)自己看待智能手機(jī)的方式——不將其視作奢侈品，而是必需品——以遏制聯(lián)網(wǎng)不公平加劇。 □