The flip side of the “robots eat all the jobs” theory not being discussed: The current revolution in the “means of production” going to everyone in the form of the smartphone (and tablet and PC) + mobile broadband + the Internet: Will be in almost everyone’s hands by 2020. Then everyone gets access to unlimited information, communication, education, access to markets, participate in global market economy.
This is not a world we have ever lived in: Historically most people in most places cut off from these things, usually to a high degree. It is hard to believe that the result will not be a widespread global unleashing of creativity, productivity, and human potential. It is hard to believe that people will get these capabilities and then come up with absolutely nothing useful to do with them.
And yet that is the subtext to the “this time is different” argument that there won’t be new ideas, fields, industries, businesses, jobs. In arguing this with an economist friend, the response was “But most people are like horses; they have only their manual labor to offer.” I don’t believe that, and I don’t want to live in a world in which that’s the case. I think people everywhere have far more potential.
Source: Tweets – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Responses:
@pmarca Says 
Social demand will always control consumer directions, and this will stay at the forefront of any technology revolution. You are right when you say people have a lot more ability and we would love to see this increase and stay stable within our world of new innovations, but faster, cheaper, overseas markets control many companies and sometimes have no choice to adapt and use robots for fast reliable production methods.
Perhaps it would be closer to the truth (whatever that is) to claim that overseas markets lure many companies with greedy ambitions that do not hesitate to exploit other overseas exploitable workers that protect these companies from having to pay a living wage to would-be workers closer to home.
Lol look at the news from anywhere on the World they have Cellphones and pay less then I do in Canada so they can have them ??? go figure ;>(