Convenience Centric Society
by Rakesh Dewan (8810244978)
Convenience is defined as the state of being able to proceed with something without difficulty. It offers us relief from work and other obligations.
We crave convenience. It makes our life easier and allows us to spend our time on what we find meaningful like hobbies, personal goals or being with family and friends. Technology can address our innate longing for this meaning by eliminating tiresome activities so we can spend more time on emotionally satisfying ones!
More than their parents, millennials value saving on time, convenience and experience above all! They prefer to be efficient with time, rather than wasting it on tedious tasks. E-commerce helps them in conveniently buying goods and services without creating physical limitations. They like banks that can sanction loans online in a matter of minutes, even if interest rates are high and convenience fee is to be paid as long as EMIs look manageable.
Let us now look at the Tyranny of convenience!
Convenience is the most underestimated & least understood force in the world today. It has the power to make other options unthinkable. Once you have used a washing machine, laundering clothes by hand seems irrational even if it might be cheaper. I used to boast of my memory to spell words but Auto Correct and Predictive Text have destroyed it.
Convenience culture is contributing to our growing carbon footprint. All the additional products we are buying are generating green house gas emissions from their production and transportation!
Worried and hurried office goers use own car, not pooling and not public transport! Exclusivity syndrome is strong with youngsters wanting exclusive car, parking space, mobile and own room!
Remote controls for TV were followed by remote control of a/c, fans, lights and security gadgets.
Precut vegetables, peeled/fruit, canned juice, ready to eat foods, readymade clothes, gadgets, doorstep car service/repairs (or pick & drop), turnkey jobs to plumbers and carpenters, more domestic help, donation online (not volunteering with time), take gym membership but struggle to be regular (think of outsourcing?), no interest in newspapers (online, if at all), use car to go to the nearby market (walking distance), quality time with children….
How can we forget the Online meetings both official and family?
It is tough to say if the changes apply to the seniors, youngsters or both!
In conclusion, one ought to remember that while convenience is fine to an extent but can easily become counterproductive and in the end subtly capture us in its stupefying web!
