There were stories about how computers would do most of our work. We'd invent new ways to spend our leisure time. It seemed exciting.
But, now, in the midst of this digital world it seems as though many of us work more, not less. Because we can now work any time of day. Morning, noon, night, on vacation, while flying. Unless we make a serious effort we're never out of touch. Even thousands of miles away.
But this wonderful technology may also be having an unintended backlash on the work force. Employees may have more leisure - but for the wrong reasons.
There has been much in the news lately that employees want $15.00 an hour for serving fast food. And California is in the midst of raising it's minimum wage to $15.00 an hour statewide.
And who pays for these raises? Of course the companies. And they do it by charging a lot more money for food that people only bought because it was cheap in the first place. I mean who's willing to pay $9.00 for a Big Mac? Or $4.00 for fries?
Some larger chains are already talking of a creative answer to the labor problem: Robots. The thing humans would be doing is working in the kitchen filling orders. And those jobs will probably be done by robots also in the near future.
We're beginning to live in a world where entitlements are a way of life. The attitude is that I deserve more just because I’m alive. It will be interesting to see how this trend plays out.
I think it'll end up that a lot more people will be poorer and have plenty of leisure time to be resentful about it.
