Automation is here. When I was in college, for most of my time there, I thought Industrial-Organizational Psychology was my career path. It was not until my last semester when I started working as a student for IT that it all changed. Little did I know that people efficiency was dying. Automation, aka the efficiency of technology (computers and robots), is where industry is making its money. Or that really the anger boistering both the Republican and Democratic presidential front-runners is due to automation. People are frustrated with the economy and how it affects them.

Edward Elser explains why:

Wages no longer follow productivity.

A whole lot of people are unhappy. Some people blame the soulless corporation. Others blame workers who want $15 an hour for a marginal job. But, here is the deal. Here is where I think the root of the discontent is: the system does not need unskilled labor anymore. Industry simply does not need unskilled or marginalized workers.

It used to be when productivity went up, so did wages. But somewhere in the 1970s a disconnect happened. The value of labor stopped following productivity. And it is my opinion this trend is not going to change; it is going to accelerate..

Our Future is Awesome | Edward Elser | TEDxAugusta