[4] Imagine the typical work situations of the fairly recent past. A traditional woman's workplace was home. Her occupation was combination of housekeeper, cook, driver, babysitter, teacher, and gardener. A man's workplace was probably in a factory or office. Factory workers, like other blue-collar workers, probably used machinery, but some amount of the work was manual. Office workers, like other white-collar workers, don't work with machines or their hands. Instead, they dealt with ideas, numbers, and people. Most of them have secretaries who typed, filed papers, and answered phones.

[6] Technology has already cause changes in these traditional work situations, but we will see more changes in the future. The increasing use of robots- machines that does the jobs of human beings- will mean less jobs for blue-collar workers. In the United States for example 33% of all workers now have manufacture jobs; however, these jobs in factories will decrease to 11% at the beginning of twenty-first century. Blue-collar workers in the future will not need much education or skill, but their pay will be low.

[6] The used of computers, already very important today, will continue to create an enormous changes for white-collar workers. In offices, as in factories, there will be a need for less people, but those people will need more skills. Secretaries, for instance, will need to be able to use word processing and other computer packages. In addition, many office workers will be free to work in several locations- e.g., the office and the home. This will be possible because of computer network- groups of connected computers. These computer networks will cause even more changes in family life: Today most men and over half of all women leave the house each day to go work, so in the future both men and women may choose staying home with a computer and still be able to receive paycheck.

[8] And how people will spend this paycheck? Up until now, consumers had been buying most of the things that they need or want in stores. They've driven or taken public transportation to supermarkets, shopping centers, department stores, and specialty shops, when they've looked for sales, bargains, and discounts. They've examined products and their choices are made. Then, with the help of salesclerks, they've paid cash, written checks, or used credit cards to buy the merchandise. Then the items are taken home by them. Until now, most consumers are shopping at this way; moreover, experts predict that shopping habits may greatly changed in the future.

[7] Already, some people are shopping lesser and lesser in stores and more and more with computers or videoscreens. Some consumers now use their computers to order certain merchandises, such as airline tickets, computer products, and videotapes, by telephone. These items arrive soon in the mail at their homes or workplaces. A even more modern method of shopping, however, is through videocatalogues in hotels, supermarkets, and other public places. Videocatalogues are computers with screens that show pictures of products to buy. Shoppers simply touch the screens getting information, focus on merchandise, make choices, and products are ordered. After the shoppers pass their credit cards by the machines, their orders go to warehouse, who sends them the items.