Maybe Technology Isn’t the Answer?
When you think of your ideal fridge, what do you imagine? Do you picture fancy temperature controls? Or maybe a built-in water filter, or easy clean shelves, or maybe even an auto-close function? Or maybe — and hear me out — you want a full-screen, integrated tablet, giving you, the lucky consumer, the ability to browse the internet or watch TV, all while pondering whether or not you should eat your partner’s leftovers and deal with the fallout. If you think that last idea seems absurd or unnecessary, then you might have to take it up with Samsung, whose line of Family Hub fridges incorporates such a feature, all for the low, low price of $3,000. But with such a hefty price tag, you have to wonder who’s buying these fridges? And more importantly, what problem are they solving?
The sad truth is, when it comes to technology, we typically don’t ask that last question. We often think that technology is synonymous with progress, and, in doing so, we assume its application will positively transform every aspect of our lives. In a weird way, technology has become the solution to every problem — even the ones that don’t exist. It’s why Ronald Reagan famously said that the “Goliath of totalitarianism will be brought down by the David of the microchip,” and it’s why Samsung is sticking tablets into refrigerators. The idea that every problem can be solved through technological efficiency and…
