The End of an Era?

It may really be the end of life as we know it.
No, I'm not talking about 2012, nuclear war, disease or famine, but something far more sinister and unexpected:

The end of unrequested phone-book deliveries.

Okay, so it's not quite that sinister.  But either way, it is actually a bit of a change.  As our society becomes ever more immersed in technology and the advantages it has to offer, we are very likely going to see more changes like this; in fact, it's already started elsewhere.  You need look no further than a grocery store and the self-checkout, or the GPS replacing conventional maps.  Now obviously technology has its advantages, and it makes our lives easier in many ways, but this poses an interesting question.  Is having this technology at our fingertips actually better for us, or does it simply make us incapable of living without it?

I know it sounds far fetched, but actually think about it.  When the power goes out, how many are lost without the internet, television, or even more basic commodities like lights and refrigerators?  Compare the differences to say, twenty years ago, before the rise of commercially available internet.  Now consider even a few years from now.  With smart phone capabilities, and tablet PCs on the rise, how long is it before traditional personal computers are considered obsolete?  Technology in the least is a costly habit; and in more ways than we may realize.

Obviously, owning the latest is going to require a pretty substantial amount of money, but we usually consider it "worth it" in order to gain the advantages technology gives us.  For example: using online banking instead of going into the branch.  It saves time, and that's something we can all appreciate.  But what about the negative side?  Online banking, slowly but surely puts non-specialized workers, in this case bank tellers, out of a job.  Yes, more are created in the IT business, but because of often on call work, high education requirements, and experience, this is not an option for many of these tellers.  While this is a slow shift, it is certainly a worrisome one, and is likely to speed up as we continue to make advancements in the technological field.  But this isn't just happening to bank tellers.

The same goes for self-checkouts, automated telephone menus, and much, much more.  The worst part in my opinion is that, as part of the staff at these locations, we are encouraged (and in many businesses, required) to advise customers to use the self-serve options available to them - we are, in a very real way, trying to destroy our own employment.

Inevitably, many are going to argue this and say that I am being far too paranoid and this is not at all the case.  And in a perfect world, where we all looked out for one another, I may be so inclined to believe them.  But if this most recent recession has taught us anything, it's that most of these big shot CEOs and their corporations couldn't care less about the common person.  This is evident in all aspects of our workforce, from spending bailout money on big bonuses going to the same people who ruined the company, to laying off thousands of employees to avoid cutting boardroom salaries.  It therefore seems only natural to me that these greedy, merciless pigs would do everything in their power to cut costs, and if we can put ourselves out of a job for them, that's even better as it saves them looking bad.

I guess I come off as hating technology and that isn't true at all.  I can appreciate what it does for my life on a daily basis, much the same as anybody else.  I just think we all need to take a step back and think about what we're doing, it's a dangerous world out there.  And now it's going to be a world where we don't get the iconic free phone books.

Thanks for reading, and as always I'd love to know what your thoughts are on this!

Here's the story on Yahoo for reference:

Telephone directory about to walk into pages of history?