For a workshop on future London, five individuals — Arup, Social Life, Re.Work, Commonplace, Tim Maughan and Nesta—created 10 Future Londoners for the year 2023. This is a short fictional piece…
Nicki, 19: zero hours contractor
Lives
Wanstead, with her parents.
Works
She bids for sub-minimum wage temp service industry jobs online. Often works for an hour or two at a time in cafes and large retail chains, which have flexible staffing models. Unable to break even on wages without using hacked travel options, can't claim benefits if she stops.
Plays
She rarely uses social networks, after her parents were priced out of the necessary superfast broadband or wifi access. Many hours of the day are eaten up checking and bidding on freelancer auctions via their peer-to-peer networks. Weekends are often spent with her parents, who regularly drive to visit both sets of Grandparents, who have moved out to a retirement town near Basildon on the other side of the M25.
Technology used
Cheap android tablet, Second-hand Blackberry, hacked Oyster cards and hacked Boris bikes. She uses online police monitoring services to check locations of transport hacking spot checks.
Key trends
(5) Flexible working; (7) Inequality causing skills and housing divides; (9) Socially-divisive access to communication technologies.















