Persona 1: Robin Esposito

Corporations now have a purpose-driven profit business model. In this scenario, microwork platforms offer Skills Packs training upgrades. Meanwhile, governments organize drone water-flights to attack forest fires across the globe. And it’s not unusual to see a microwork hub in a repurposed shipping container hub celebrating Blue Origin.

Note: SamaKar is a fictitious organization. Samasource, a microwork platform intentionally designed for measurable poverty reduction is its inspiration. References support the plausibility of the scenario. There is no connection between Samasource and TWIG’s microtasking project.

Scenario 1 was developed at the microworking session held on December 10, 2019. The related narrative, Purpose-driven Conglomerates, describes Toronto in 2030.

There is only so much fake cheese a human can eat

Robin Esposito sat at her kitchen table and stared out the window, sipping her third coffee of the day. The sun was coming up over the hills, and the dreaded wheel of death was still spinning on her screen. Soon, Amazon’s community fund would improve her connection speed.

It was the only thing standing between her and a promotion. Even with corporate impact dollars, this internet problem persisted. Then there were the power outages that went with it due to the rolling fires.

She had been working long hours to save for a generator, but Robin and her son Darin were getting sick of Mac n’ Cheese. There is only so much fake cheese a human can eat!

Still, Robin reminded herself that it would all be worthwhile

Worth the sacrifice! After all, she was a microworker with one of “the good guys”. A small shop in comparison to the rest, but still a global agency with great reach, and better scaling potential. SamaKar had been an early adopter in the microwork business. It already included over 12,000 workers. Robin was proud to contribute to social impact projects in over 17 countries.

The agency had remained true to its purpose and blazed a path of positive impact that inspired others. She was proud to call this org her home base. Even though microtasking was simple and lonely, it was great to be part of something purpose-driven. It not only paid the bills but provided the ability for advancement. And she was part of positive changes in the world.

For Robin, it was hard work and tough going

It was especially tough to feel the ever-present pressure. The guttural fear of flying without a safety net, hurtling through each day with no end in sight was with her always. She sought safety, and her bed, and Mac n’ Cheese again, on the other end.

All it would take is for one of them to get ill or for a serious injury to occur. Some ridiculous twist of fate (like her father’s faulty aorta) could throw them off course. Dad’s illness had forced her to drop out of high school. At this point, she was six credits shy of a diploma.

She had to try and scrape together enough money to get private treatment before the healthcare wait-list ran out of time. Although she tried her best and found a local job that paid overtime. Their church community organized bake sale fundraisers and donated online giving pages. But in the end, it had all been too quick, and the money hadn’t even been enough to cover the majority of funeral costs. She’d been lucky to have found this gig instead, with flexibility, and room for growth.

It felt good to focus on improvement. Sigh. The wheel was still spinning. She looked out the window at the beautiful woods of her childhood, in her small, rural, northern Ontario town. Then, she sipped her coffee again. A red cardinal flew a majestic arc over her yard. They would have to do something about this connection speed.

Contributors

This scenario was written by Ana Matic. It was developed at the Microwork Drivers Workshop on December 10, 2019. It’s based on the contributions of the following people. With thanks.

Ann Holmes, Principal Consultant, Ann Holmes & Associates
Darcy MacCallum, Director of Family & Wellness, The Neighbourhood Organization
Undergraduate Student, University of Toronto Scarborough
Geordie McRuer, Founding Consultant, Bastet Strategy
Judy Doidge, Director, Partnerships, Social Capital Partners
Mahjabeen Mamoon, Lead Research Analyst, Toronto Workforce Innovation Group
Saddaf Syed, Integrated Learning Experience Coordinator, University of Toronto Scarborough

Microtasking posters

All scenarios

TORONTO 2030: TALES OF POLICY AND PROFIT