Has automation failed to simplify our lives?

In the 1950’s people had mixed emotions on automation, whether it was a good thing or bad, was based on your perception of the future and what it would hold. Many believed that it would take jobs away and we would soon be working less due to being needed less. An optimist at the time saw this as an amazing thing! We would now have more time to spend with our families and doing thing’s that we loved right? Wrong. on both sides. Yeah employment has dropped a bit, but like the article point’s out it’s due to competition and expansion from other nations. Many feared this as A. J. Hayes wrote that automation had the power of overturning our social order but mechanization made workers efficient but still valuable. As Brian Hayes points out many economist could of made as many predictions as they wanted but one thing that they could not for see is how our culture would change drastically from the 50’s to now. As humans we are driven by different thing’s. Back then family was a main focus and many people lived as minimalist. Far from what we are now. We are driven by money. We work more willingly and unknowingly for nicer things whether it will be for us or our families. We are drive by materials. I see it as a cycle as a nation we want the latest gadget we all want that tablet or Iphone 5 right? So we work to get that which in return makes consumers work faster to beat competitors and make a profit. Which than can lead to more job opportunities. I feel that technology in many ways has simplified our lives and has made us lazy in many ways. However at the same time technology and new automations cost money which will always drive us. Our nation is consumed with the wanting of having the nicest thing we could blame society, celebrities and technology for that. I however don’t see us slowing down, or working less willingly any where in the near future if anything I think a rise of overworking will continue.