‘Fitter, happier, more productive’

Abstract

This chapter examines the paradoxes of time's relationship with technology. How and why does the abundance of time-saving technologies make our lives feel busier, somehow making our lives both easier and more stressed? As we see, the relationship between technology and temporality is more complex and contradictory than most accounts suggest. The belief that machines can be profitably employed to control and manage time has a long history and is reflected in the contemporary sociotechnical imaginaries of what automation will deliver. The academic field known as the social studies of science and technology has for many years challenged the mainstream view of technologies as neutral, value-free tools that simply drive changes in society. The chapter illustrates how robotics embody our desire to save time by delegating labour in the naive pursuit of freeing up time for 'life's important things'.