The Future of Work is No Work: A Call to Action for Designers in the Abolition of Work

Abstract

We endure decades of preparation for, enduring of, and recovery from work. It manifests and corrupts most of our life. It doesn't have to be like this. We can envision and design towards a future that gives life back to us: a world without work as we know it. HCI as a field should be oriented towards abolishing work for everyone rather than designing a future of work, often depicted as a metaverse of three-dimensional avatars, virtual workplaces, and automated oppression. In this paper, we detail what work is, what the abolition of work means, and a call to action for HCI to abolish work following a transformative justice framework.