Technophobia: Should Millennials Fear Replacement by Robots?

Technophobia is the fear of technology out-evolving humans, with artificial intelligence eventually eliminating or enslaving humanity. It’s been the driving force behind movies like “The Matrix,” the “Terminator series”, and countless others. The question is: should Millennials fear Judgment Day? The answer might surprise you.

Job Creation: Quality not Quantity

A recent article from The Guardian shows how technology has actually created more jobs than it has destroyed over the last 140 years. It acknowledges how technology has virtually eliminated certain industries, like sewers (not the sewage kind, the needle and thread kind) and clothes washers, but argues that all of the eliminated jobs were jobs that weren’t too great to begin with.

The industry which felt the biggest effect from technology was agriculture. The number of agricultural laborers has plummeted over the last 100 years. Surprisingly, food production has been steadily climbing over the same time period. It’s obvious technology is what has made this exponential increase in efficiency possible.

Jobs for the Millennial Mind

In today’s society, technological advances are replacing the jobs which were once reliant on manual labor. Why should this be viewed as a bad thing? By freeing up these manual laborers to pursue a job which requires a higher education, the world becomes filled with smarter and happier people.

While manual labor jobs have decreased, available jobs in industries that require the human touch have skyrocketed. While people may like automation when convenience is their main priority, they HATE it when it comes to customer service. How many times have you called a company’s customer service number only to get a robotic woman asking you a series of questions about why you’re calling?

We humans are wired to communicate face-to-face. We hardly trust a voice over the phone when it’s a human stranger- a robotic stranger is even more unnerving. This is why the ATM will never fully replace the live human teller. Robotics may be used to make surgical procedures more efficient, but there will always be a human in control of that machine. Think about it: some of us have a hard time trusting other humans based on their skin being a few shades lighter or darker; do you really think we could ever trust an AI robotic doctor to diagnose our illnesses and perform surgery on us when our lives are on the line?

How the Internet Revolutionized the Workplace

The internet is the biggest example of how technology has done way more good than harm when it comes to job creation. There are hundreds of bloggers who are making thousands through affiliate marketing programs, digital advertising, and selling e-books. These people wouldn’t have a job if we took technology away tomorrow.

There’d also be thousands of Social Media professionals in the unemployment line. Social Media Strategists have become one of the most important positions within a company. A great social media campaign is the difference between internet fame and obscurity, but without technology, the concept of “going viral” wouldn’t even exist. Neither would Cybersecurity or the people who make six figures protecting company networks.

Technology has also invented the concept of telecommuting. Millennials will have more opportunities for work-life balance than their predecessors, as they can now work from home and still be in constant contact with colleagues and bosses.

The reality is we have nothing to fear from technology. Millennials are the first generation to grow up with the Internet as an accepted part of everyday life. Not one person in Generation Z has lived in a world without Internet. The point is, technology is not “unnatural” to us- it’s a world without this technology that would feel foreign.