Why the World Is Getting More Impatient Every Year
Can we avoid the wave of irritability sweeping the nation?
The world hasn’t been the same ever since the iPhone was released back in 2007. It’s gotten better, but it’s also become a bit worse. One particular aspect of society has gotten worse every year.
Our patience.
People have been growing more irritable, more frustrated, and more impatient with each passing year. Solid dates and times keep shifting closer to, “The sooner, the better.”
The most obvious example would have to be the holidays. Christmas used to be saved for December, but now Walmart advertises its trees and ornaments in October. Black Friday used to actually happen when Thursday turned to Friday, but now it just happens on Thursday afternoon.
Our patience is affected by how soon we receive things. If we can keep attending Black Friday early without consequences, we’ll gradually expect to receive everything sooner. Patience is tricky because it’s not really something that’s in our control. We have to notice our patience levels in order to change them.
Is Impatience a Huge Problem?
The problem isn’t that it exists, but that it’s getting worse. We’ve all seen what a lack of patience does to people. It makes them irritable and unpleasant.
Our increasingly restless and impatient nature comes down to the following factors:
- Smartphones.
- Online shopping.
- Streaming services.
- Technology replacing everything.
I’m 22 so I rely on technology as much as the next young adult. I’m not saying that it’s evil or corrupted, but I’d like to speak up about the effect it’s having on people.
Is Technology Is the Cause?
I’ve been using technology for as long as I can remember. I was alive long before the iPhone existed, but I’ve always had a video game console.
People like to say that technology itself is the main reason for our lack of patience, but they’re only partially right. I don’t think that using technology does anything in particular. The lasting effects depend on what you’re using and doing.
When people blame technology, they’re really blaming the Internet. Specific parts of it are the cause of the issue, and that’s coming from a guy who runs an online business.
What particular website do I think is at fault? Well, it’s definitely not just one. Youtube has all sorts of crazy effects on kids, and social media causes a whole bunch of self-esteem issues, but if there was one website that just generated impatience…it’d have to be Amazon.
Instant Delivery Has Delayed Problems
Amazon isn’t just a website, it’s a service. A delivery service.
When I was growing up, I felt lucky to receive a package within a week. We’ve been used to dirt-slow mail for years, but Amazon changed all of that with something known as same-day delivery.
Now through services like Amazon Prime or just paying lots of money, we can get packages hours away from buying them. We already have instant access to endless information with our phones and then we gained the ability to near-instantly buy and receive anything from the comfort of our own homes. Of course we’re getting more irritable; we’re used to having anything we want as soon as we want it.
Amazon isn’t even where this sensation ends. The icing on the impatience cake would have to be what’s currently phasing out the need for blu-ray discs: streaming services.
If Only We Could Stream Some More Patience
The ability to stream media to our TVs and phones without any sort of console or disc changed everything. Netflix essentially buried Blockbuster by sending content straight to the consumer instead of requiring them to leave the house or wait days for it to arrive.
Streaming services are so big that they’ve even extended into gaming. Microsoft, Sony, and Google are all trying to create the gaming equivalent of Netflix now.
Disney, Warner Bros, and every other company that owns IPs are all trying to make their own streaming services as well. No need to run to Walmart to buy the latest Avengers movie, it’s already on Disney Plus.
Streaming services aren’t bad, but along with Amazon, they’re doing a real number on our mindsets. What’s the point in having any semblance of patience? The only thing we wait for nowadays is release dates, and even those are getting looser by the year.
The future every cartoon and movie predicted where information is basically just part of our brains is inching closer every day.
Can We Prevent This Decline?
The impatience caused by instant delivery and instant streaming is an issue, but it’s hard to avoid. Abstaining from either service or the many like them wouldn’t make sense in the long run. Neither service is going anywhere, and our society is only going to grow more reliant on them as we phase out the old ways of doing things.
I don’t think there’s any way to really escape Netflix and Amazon. Not when they’re such booming companies. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to fall victim to the irritability and impatience that comes with using them.
There’s a simple technique that I think will help a lot when it comes to making appropriate use of all this tech.
Is There a Solution?
There’s this cool concept known as “mindfulness.” It’s an ability that some people foster by meditating. We all naturally possess it, but it grows stronger when we practice it.
Mindfulness is essentially just being aware of what you’re doing, feeling, and where you are without being overwhelmed by any of them. I think that mindfully using all these instant services is a good way to counter their negative side effects.
When you use those services or when you feel yourself growing impatient, just take a step back and be aware. Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by the emotion and it can’t control you.
Final Thoughts
This is an evolving and ever-present situation so I can’t say that it has a solution or is even a real problem. I’m certain that using these speedy services is the cause of our growing impatience, but it’s not the end of the world. It hasn’t caused any actual problems aside from celebrating Christmas in October.
Don’t swear off all the crazy tech and services coming out. It’s neat that we can stream Frozen 2 while restocking our groceries online. You just can’t let the accessibility of those features impact your mindset. You still have to wait in line if you go to stores, and you still have to sit through previews at movies.
Easy access services are luxuries, not the new normal.
