by Jack Bragen
I live among low-income, disabled people, and I see poor people using high tech every day. This is made possible by means of mass production and innovative ways products can be cheaply manufactured. Where these so-called “low-end” products are concerned, I find high tech to be a boon for poor people who are willing to apply themselves to get used to this gadgetry.
A microcomputer costs only a few hundred dollars. And such a gadget can withstand use for years, or as long as the operating system (OS) is still supported, or the hardware is recent enough to continue with a supported version. Windows works fine for poor people. And I’ve just recently begun using Google Docs, and you do not have to pay anything to use it.
Most of the tools involved in computer access are free or cost next to nothing. It is a matter of diving in and seeing how things work. If you know how to use one, a computer doesn’t care about your background—whether you have a college degree or if you have a checkered past.
If we’re talking about Apple products, that’s an arena in which poor people need not apply. Apple’s stuff is expensive. Does it work better? I don’t know. All I know is that the PCs I have used seem to work well enough for me.
And yet, iPhones have become the standard. I don’t have one, But my Android phone, which was provided at no cost when the phone company upgraded to a 5G network, does what I need it to do.
It appears high tech has eliminated more jobs than it has created, and increased income and wealth disparity. The fact that artificial intelligence does so many tasks that at one time human beings did, blows a hole in the economy. But companies are forced to automate to the extent they can, if only because their competitors do, and it is reflected in profits or losses.
Another thought: Companies could hire people to perform tasks that humans do best, like answering phones, without being subordinated by AI. But the corporations can hoard even more money with their cost savings. I frequently see news reports of mass layoffs at high tech companies. Most likely, the companies are not in financial jeopardy at all..
A past job: switchboard operator—ancient history. And there was “secretary-receptionist”—I have not seen any ads for that position in a long time. “Computer operator,” not needed—If computers can operate themselves, why is one even needed?.
Jobs like data entry could work for someone who can perform repetitive tasks quickly and accurately without getting bored.
But I can’t do data entry—I’m too slow and clumsy, though I have an advantage when engaging in higher functions. My problem is that I don’t have a bachelor’s degree. Regardless of their ability and aptitude, people without a college degree are locked out of thinking jobs.
Gadgetry continues to encroach on employment of human beings. And this will force a major change in how the U.S. does business.
The U.S. should become a country where working isn’t required to exist.. We have plenty of money to go around, even if we paid for the support of those who can’t work, don’t want to work, or otherwise aren’t working. Instead, those who don’t or can’t maintain a job are left to starve and die of exposure to the outdoor elements. It doesn’t have to be this way.
When human beings are displaced from the workforce due to automation, it is a blow to everyone, not just the segment of those displaced. It is like trickle-down unemployment.
There are countries that provide universal basic income. And the U.S. can afford to do this too.
We see many Americans who can’t get work ending up on the street. The jobs are gone. And if we’re speaking of manual labor, not everyone can do it due to a physical limitation.
We are not seeing a compassionate society, but one where you have to be part of a machine. High tech also entails people fulfilling roles that resemble being a machine.
If you can adapt well to gadgetry, it helps you if you want to survive. In fact,; it is a necessity.
Windows and Android are the cheaper cousins of Mac and iPhones. Either way you need to be plugged in. Even if you have to go the route of “unemployment by total disability,” technology often is a route to survival. You still need gadgets to call doctors and pharmacies as well as dealing with all of the voicemails.
Still, I can remember, when I was dealing with human beings, life was easier. We weren’t looking through a technological portal if we wanted to accomplish something. Today, human beings have become inaccessible and thereby unaccountable.
As a writer, I find the PC computer to be a welcome development. It meant that I could afford to write and submit as many manuscripts as I want without the need to pay for photocopying and postage. Spellcheck is yet another benefit, since I am not constantly looking up the spellings of words.
However, the PC will not filter out idiocy from my writing—that part is up to me.
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