Since the earliest discoveries of man’s history on this earth, we have seen technology created and used to make life sustainable, comfortable, and progressive. Each century, especially the last two, has seen an exponential growth of technology unlike anything else in history.
Trains, cars, airplanes, computers, iPhones.
The power in the palm of our hands is an amazing thing to behold.
Just recently, Jeff Bezos of Amazon announced his new delivery-by-drone program, Prime Air. It’s still years away, but it’ll disrupt the way online retailers do business. UPS has also stated they’re developing their own drone program. In other words, they’re scrambling to. Amazon is taking drone tech and putting it in the line of sight of consumers. Why go to the store if the few things you need can be delivered in half an hour? The average consumer will save money in gas and maybe more importantly, their time. The elderly will probably gain the most from this.
But who suffers as a result?
Big box stores. Small businesses. Mom and pop shops.
The problem here is a lot of people are employed at these kinds of places, myself included. More job cuts. More poverty. More welfare. All at the expense of convenience. And mark my words, this will happen. Anything convenient is something us Americans jump on. Delivery-by-drone will be our new way of shopping. Yes, jobs will be created because of this new form of tech. But will it create or replace the same amount of jobs it’ll kill?
The United States Postal Service has been in decline for years. They’ve initiated new programs to boost profits, but UPS and FedEx are too good at what they do. Amazon’s drone delivery system is going to cause considerable damage to the USPS. It won’t happen fast, but over time, as UPS and FedEx also implement their versions, the USPS is going to be reeling from this new form of tech. But hey, they’re part of the government. They have drones, too. I just don’t think the population will like government-endorsed drones delivering their mail in light of all the Edward Snowden material.
Perhaps, Jeff Bezos is wrong about Prime Air. Perhaps I’m wrong, too. How will we feel seeing drones buzzing above us at all hours of the day dropping off packages? And for the conspiracy theorists out there, is this new venture just another ploy to get the American population used to drones above our heads?
Time will tell if the logistics of such a venture will even work. Prime Air is an exciting idea. Let’s hope it ends up turning out for the best.
