Tech doesn't make our lives easier. It makes them faster
Technology accelerates life, contradicting time-saving promises. AI and digital trends push for faster lifestyles, reshaping societal norms. Capitalist logic prioritizes growth and speed over personal needs, fueling stress and burnout.
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The article discusses how technology, instead of making our lives easier as advertised, actually makes them faster. Despite having more technology than ever before, people feel more stressed and burned out. The narrative of technology saving time is challenged, as it is used to speed up production and consumption, leading to a constant need to keep up with the accelerated pace. The article highlights how technology, like AI, doesn't necessarily liberate time but recalibrates the economy for higher acceleration, demanding more from individuals. It emphasizes that the systemic logic of a capitalist economy prioritizes growth and speed over individual desires. The shift towards digital payments and automation is portrayed as a trend that forces people to adapt to a faster-paced lifestyle, even if it means sacrificing personal time and convenience. The article concludes by pointing out the irony that the introduction of new technology often leads to frustration when it is not available, showcasing how societal norms and expectations are reshaped by technological advancements.
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6 commentsWhat technology has brought is choice and options:
A woman can choose to decouple having sex with getting pregnant.
A person can choose to live hundreds of miles away from their family yet still visit them every weekend.
A person can choose to move to a new country, halfway around the world, and still have their parents be able to see and converse with the grandchildren every night.
I can choose to talk to a person who speaks another language and have a computer translate for us.
On a more serious note:
I can choose to have my tooth decay treated without experiencing horrific pain.
A compound fracture is not an automatic sentence of death or lifelong severe disability.
It is very easy to have tons of time nowadays with all the comforts, selecting the optimal work, location etc.
I wouldn't want to live at any other time. I have never had things as easy as they are now, especially in the past 5 years with possibility for remote work.
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