| Enormous increases in processing power and bandwidth are blurring the lines between the real world and the virtual one. As work, education, government, and entertainment have moved on-line, the barriers of space and time that formerly marked different parts of people��셲 lives have disappeared. Virtual work teams, telecommuting, long-distance learning, and electronic shopping for many have resulted in an ��쏿nything, anywhere, anytime��� lifestyle, in which formerly distinct areas of people��셲 lives are now intertwined in cyberspace. People��셲 lives and their relationships with others are increasingly taking place in this electronic reality. As a result, digital technology has transformed the personal and public lives of most Americans over the past 15 years. |
| After decades of growth, union membership in the United States has been declining steadily for the past 20 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Total membership peaked at almost 18 million people in 1980. By last year, according to The Charlotte News & Observer, that figure had dropped to less than 16 million, just 13 percent of the country��셲 workforce. |
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