THE REALITY OF MODERNIZATION

How many times have we stood in a line and thought that you could be doing something else that was more productive.  Many of us complain when we are waiting in line to do our banking, buy our groceries or get our driver’s licences renewed.  We also complain when we try to reconcile an error on any of our household bills when we call the company in which we are having a dispute with.  We wait on the phone patiently to speak with an agent, only to be told that there is nothing that can be done.  I love to shop online, do my banking online, pay bills via the internet and access government services via the internet only because I don’t have to wait in long line ups.  I’ve been thinking about automation/modernization a lot lately and I have found that as good as it is – there are many pitfalls to modernization.  Before I talk about the drawbacks of automation/modernization – we must look at how the Industrial Revolution affected society and paved the way for the current IT revolution.

Here is a brief synopsis of the birth of the Industrial Revolution as indicated on http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution:

The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was a period during which predominately agrarian, rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and urban.  Prior to the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late 1700s, manufacturing was often done in people’s homes, using hand tools or basic machines.  Industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production.  The iron and textile industries, along with the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw improved systems of transportation, communication and banking.  While industrialization brought about an increased volume and variety of manufactured goods and an improved standard of living for some, it also resulted in often grim employment and living conditions for the poor and working classes.

Industrial Revolution Timeline from 1709 to 1858 – Britain (key points)

• 1712 – The first workable steam-powered engine was developed by Thomas Newcomen.
• 1730 – The seed drill was invented by Jethro Tull.  This was a critical point of the agricultural revolution which freed labour from the fields and lowered crop prices.
• 1759 – The first Canal Act was passed by the British Parliament; this led to the construction of a national network of inland waterways for transport and industrial supplies.  By 1830 there were 6,500km/4,000 miles of canals in Britain.
• 1763 – The spinning-jenny, which greatly accelerated cotton-spinning, was invented by James Hargreaves in Blackburn.
• 1765 – James Watt produced a more reliable and efficient version of the Newcomen engine.
• 1785 – The power-loom marked the start of the mechanised textile industry.
• 1802 – The first electric battery capable of mass production was designed by William Cruickshank in England.
• 1811-16 – Textile workers known as Luddites staged widespread protests against low pay and unemployment in Nottinghamshire, which involved destroying new machines.
• 1813 – Industrial employment overtook agricultural employment in England for the first time.
• 1825 – The first regular railway services started between Stockton and Darlington in northeast England.
• 1831-52 – British industrial production doubled.
• 1833 – The first effective Factory Act was passed in Britain regulating child labour in cotton mills.
• 1840-42 – George Hudson built the first railway station in York.
• 1858 – The ‘great stink’ of London dramatized the increasing pollution in the cities.

***above information can be found on the following link:  http://westerncivguides.umwblogs.org/2012/05/01/3195/

Industrial Revolution Timeline from 1732 to 1830 – United States of America (key points)

• 1750 – Potmac Canal, surveyed by George Washington, opens by-passing waterfalls on the river.
• 1762 – David Rittenhouse and Dr. William Smith survey route of what will become the Union Canal, linking Philadelphia with interior of Pennsylvania.
• 1763 – John Henry, the son of an Irish immigrant, reputedly builds a steam-powered paddle boat which he sails on the Canastoga River at Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Boat sinks after accident.
• 1774 – Britain passes law banning export of cotton-spinning technology and emigration of cotton workers to America.
• 1775 – America enters the steam age as New York firm of Sharpe and Curtenius cast the country’s first-ever cylinder for a steam engine.  David Bushnell builds one-man submarine, The Turtle.
• 1776 – Declaration of Independence adopted by Continental Congress (July 4th) and signed by the 56 representatives (Aug 2nd).  Bushnell’s submarine fails in attack on British blockade ship HMS Eagle in New York harbour.
• 1782 – U.S. and Britain sign preliminary peace articles in Paris.
• 1783 – Treaty of Paris signed by U.S. and Britain, ending War of Independence.
• 1785 – America adopts the dollar – world’s first decimal currency.
• 1790 – Southern States produce first major crops of cotton.
• 1801 – James Finley builds world’s first chain suspension bridge, 70-feet wide, over Jacob’s Creek, Pennsylvania.  Philadelphia uses steam power to provide city water supply.
• 1812 – U.S. declares war on Britain, aiming to annexe Canada.
• 1824 – First school of science and engineering in United States – later New York Polytechnic Institute.
• 1827 – Incorporation of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad – first freight and passenger-carrying line in U.S.
• 1829 – William Austin Burt of Worcester, Massachusetts, patents early version of the typewriter.

***above information can be found on the following link:  http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/timeline1.html

These timelines really represent a time where those who had power and financial resources – had the ability to control the world and dictate how governments would work to support their best interests.  With mass production comes more money – with more money, comes more control.

As with the Industrial Revolution – the new IT Revolution will profoundly have a huge impact on employment (or lace thereof) and living conditions for the poor and working class.  Governments and Corporations see modernization as a way to save money but replacing people with computers and machines.  Today, we are being bombarded by ‘self-serve’ options every where we go.  Governments and corporations indicate that this is what the public is demanding (Obviously those who have financial security).  There will a huge influx in unemployment (as you are now witnessing) because companies will be laying off workers because their clients don’t have to see a ‘live body’.   As the unemployment rates soar – the economy will suffer because those without jobs will not be able consume.  Many people will be forced to work in service-related jobs that pay minimum wage increasing financial inequality.

Look around you – the results of society wanting things faster and more efficiently is everywhere; you can go to the grocery store and bag and pay for yourself, you can bank online, you can shop online, you can apply for health care online, etc.  In Canada – The Canada Post Corporation has indicated that they will be laying off over 5,000 employees because they could save millions of dollars implementing post office boxes where clients pick up their own mail.  Service Canada – the branch of government that offers employment insurance, grants and contributions, pension and old age security  has indicated that due to the public demand for more ‘self-serve’ and online services, many of their remote locations will close due to this modernization.  Automobile companies replaced many of their workers with robots, machines that can build cars – which was better for the industry because robots or machines are faster, don’t get hurt, are never sick, don’t require benefits and never take vacation.

I believe that my generation has a ‘love/hate’ relationship with modernization.  We love technology for social reasons – we love the internet, email, Facebook, Twitter etc….but we also like the option of being able to call a company and talking with an actual person.  I love that I have the option of going to a bank or government office and having someone explain a process to me.  I don’t want to check myself into a hotel, I don’t want a car that drives me, I don’t want to be strapped to a cell phone all day long, I don’t want to be a slave to modernization, automation.  I don’t want governments and corporations to dictate what I have to do in order to help them with their bottom line.  I want a choice.  The way I see it – our choices are being made for us in every aspect of our lives.  Those with money are dictating everything we must do, say or buy – soon there will be no choice.  What will the world look like then? 

We don’t need another Industrial Revolution.  We don’t need modernization or automation.  We do not need to create what corporations and governments want – more power for those with more money.  What we need now is an ENVIRONMENTAL REVOLUTION and a LOVE REVOLUTION.  We need to help heal the planet and help heal each other and only then can we create a more positive world.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!