Technological Advancements During The Industrial Revolution

History has proven that technological advancements play a significant role in the development of society, but at what cost? The efforts of 19th century laborers to combat the effects of the Industrial Revolution were well intentioned, but they failed miserably. As a result, production became cheaper and faster, and arduous manual labor began to slip from the forefront of American and international blue-collared standards. Workers did not have a positive outlook on the loss of jobs. However wrong it seemed, technological innovations such as steam power and machinery revolutionized the United States economy. These innovations ultimately proved to be beneficial to society. In the 21st century, new technological advancements are on the rise. These advancements are beginning to show less and less bias when it comes to targeting the jobs of blue collar workers versus white collar workers. But the same principles applied to the past should also be applied to the present and the future. While automation is a worrisome prospect for
History has shown that drastic economic changes take place over extended periods of time and therefore do not have immediate consequences significant enough to have an impact on the economic health of a society (besides, the only times in United States history when there has been mass unemployment was during the Great Depression and 2008 Recession, and neither were the result of job loss) (Nath). That being said, some experts suggest that robots must be handled appropriately so as to avoid negative economic and societal consequences. Martin Ford, author of Rise Of The Robots: Technology and The Threat Of A Jobless Future, believes that the idea that bigger and better jobs will always be available to workers as a result of automation is a dangerous notion. In an excerpt from his book, he states the