[teambob]

That's not really true. Back in the 1980s most small and medium businesses still used paper based journals. All the people who were employed to do that are gone - one person now can do the job of about 6 people in the 1980s.

Before the 1980s you had to do everything by post, not even fax. So you needed to follow up a lot more and talk a lot more on the phone.

Better technology doesn't necessarily mean that people will be "replaced" but it generally has meant that fewer people can do the same job.