Why Modern Technology Makes the Recession an Even Bigger Nightmare

I’m sure that we can all think back and remember a time when most upper-middle class Americans owned a cell phone, an iPod or CD player, a camera, a radio, a camcorder, a computer with Internet access, and either a GPS system for their car or else a wide variety of maps. Yet now, everyone can make calls, listen to music, take pictures, listen to Internet radio stations, shoot video, surf the web, check email, and find out where they’re going all from their iPhone. As more and more people buy iPhones, fewer and fewer people continue to buy devices that accomplish only one or two of the tasks the iPhone is capable of, such as cell phones and camcorders. Consequently, with fewer people buying the in-demand electronics of the past, fewer workers are needed to manufacture and sell these items. If this weren’t bad enough, these days, nobody needs to go to the bookstore to buy travel guides, Shakespeare plays, or books for birdwatchers, because there are apps for all of that, and as a greater number of people begin to use iTunes, a greater number of CD stores begin to go out of business.

It’s not just the iPhone that’s putting the little guy out of work either though. For example, I’m ancient enough to remember a time when there wasn’t such a thing as the self-check-out line at the grocery store. Back then, supermarkets had to hire more people as cashiers and baggers. A while before that, when ATMs didn’t exist, more positions as bank tellers were available. Similarly, at one time, everyone driving on Illinois toll roads had to stop at toll booths that employed several people at a time. Now, drivers in Illinois need an I-PASS because toll booths and their employees are a thing of the past.

The Internet has also made many occupations nearly obsolete. Independent and small chain bookstores have become scarce as most people purchase books online through Barnes & Noble or Amazon. This decreases the number of positions available for those who wish to be a cashier or manager of a small bookstore. Online banking takes jobs away from tellers, online newspapers result in fewer people subscribing to paper newspapers, and nobody buys recipe books anymore with all the free recipes available online.

While the abundance of services that modern technology provides may save consumers time and money, it takes a toll on those looking for work, especially in an age when many factories have moved to other countries and many people who had a steady income years ago have now been laid off.