“When computers came along, things were supposed to be more efficient. Instead, they’ve gotten much, much worse.”
A computer very well may have taken your job. The computer isn’t nearly as smart personable or capable as you were or are.
I visited a bank last week for some work they needed. They had a huge basement that was unused. I asked about the size of the building, and the answer I got was interesting.
Before the age of computers, they used have many more employees because everything was done “by hand”.
Once upon a time, a great many Americans worked in manufacturing. But, with advances in machinery, and off-shoring of industry, the need for industrial labor steadily decreased. Today, only a small percentage of the population works in manufacturing.
Once upon a time, a great many Americans worked in offices providing services. But, with advances in computers, and off-shoring of service work, the need for office labor has steadily decreased. Today, a much smaller percentage of the population works in offices.
Bottomline: We are productive, but where are the jobs?? Can society function when we have goods, and not much need for much of the population to labor?
No, I own my own businesss. It was just an observation.
When they came in, I found that it speeded up some slow workers and slowed down some of the fast ones.
The worst phenomenon I noticed was the “data processing” BS-er who regarded computers as an end in themselves rather than tools and a means to an end.
Bad employees will use computers and computer problems to excuse lack of productivity. And government employess didn’t seem to be made anymore efficient at all.
Just my personal observations. If yours have been different, God bless you!
I usr them (obviously) and enjoy them immensely. I just don’t think they’ve been the boon to the workaday world that some people thought they would be.