Technology taking its toll

Technology taking its toll

Is the advancement in tech- nology ruining the job market? I would say so.

I don’t remember when the last time I went to the post office to purchase a book of stamps. I mean, what’s the point? These days I can just get on the computer and pay my bill electronically.

And most of the time, I don’t even have to do that; direct pay does it for me automatically. It’s convenient for me, but is it convenient for the post office?

Not according to recent statistics that state that in 2010 the U.S. Postal Service lost $8.5 billion. I can only imagine how many jobs went away when that $8.5 billion was lost.

But it’s not just the U.S. Postal Service that is taking a hit. It’s bookstores all around the country. Last Christmas I splurged and bought my mother a Nook for Christmas. It’s a computer screen about the size and weight of a paperback book that stores up to 1,500 books, magazines, newspapers, etc. You don’t have to go anywhere to purchase the books, you just have to “click” and a few moments later the book magically appears. Not to mention the average price of an e-book is only $9.99. I don’t see my mom making any trips to Borders or Barnes and Noble in the future. And that seems to be the general consensus, considering places such as Borders have reported another double-digit percentage decline.

The advancement in technology is probably good for those companies and developers who are capable of producing such products. But for the rest of us, the ones without the capability to invent an application, the ones who rely on minimum wage jobs to pay their bills and feed their families, or even to pay for the latest e-book, technology will be our demise.

Adrienne Bish, Boardman