by Robert Kuttner

About the author: Robert Kuttner is a nationally syndicated columnist.

Something is out of kilter in the new information economy. Everything is more automated, but on balance it doesn’t seem to save us much time or raise our living standards.

As Technology Increases, Productivity Decreases

Economists have several theories to explain this paradox, but at bottom I think the problem is pretty simple. A lot of the innovation is more trouble than it’s worth. Anyone who has wrestled with a new software program and lost, or who wastes time on the receiving end of voice mail or e-mail, will know what I mean.

The technical concept here is productivity. In manufacturing, it takes ever fewer man-hours to build a car or produce a ton of steel. In services, countless clerical tasks are...