Wage, work and web

Our species has the first major technological advance in its history, as computers have fully arrived in many ways, which has lead to the greatest economic inequity in its history. Where I like simple explanation and that is easy to find.

For example, consider a worker today at a company who, with the aid of computers or things related to computers including the web, can do the work that was done by 4 or more people in the past. So you have a business which requires a worker for a task, and that worker brings value to that company, which is in excess of what any one person could do in the past and can be 4x but their pay?

Is possible that worker is making roughly the same as any one of those 4 workers in the past.

That money not paid in return for that value received to the person who gave it flows upwards to business owners, including stockholders when there are any.

Society in our times rather than focus on the value an individual brings to a business, has let businesses pay people based on a perceived value to their work, which is based on historical trends, now woefully out of date.

Computer revolution swept through rapidly.

The web has begun to help. As people share salary information that can push wages closer to the value you ACTUALLY bring to a company, but still, how do you know?

How does anyone know?

And turns out that the business does know.

The problem became so harsh and destabilizing that crippled economies were beginning to have difficulty functioning, as people are, thanks to computers, giving vastly more value than they are receiving in return.

Some communities are so destroyed, drug abuse and other dysfunctional behaviors are taking over for people who cannot understand why working hard is no longer enough in the US. Which is a troubling conclusion for me. And do NOT condone drug abuse but am not against looking for simple explanation there for explosions in rates of it in the US either.

While business owners have pushed the idea that they are simply smarter and better than other Americans. And some stoop to fighting to maintain low wages, knowing their employees barely survive and often require public assistance, as politicians begin to figure it out, and try to push for higher wages including by raising the minimum wage.

Good news is that in time balance will arrive as web facilitates flows of information, like here. As Americans especially escape the programming that we are vastly overpaid, and begin to focus on figuring out how much your work effort is ACTUALLY worth.

Especially if you realize--that business? Is likely lying to you about how much more you bring, when with computers you can do the work that 4 or more people were required to do in the past.

Do the math on what you SHOULD be making then.


James Harris