Technological advances have improved the efficiency of travel preparation.

• Back in the day, when people needed to travel within the city, they had to stand outside and hail a cab.  This entailed standing half on the sidewalk and half on the street with a hand in the air to signal that you needed a taxi driver.  With this method, people had to wait until a taxi driver stopped for them. However, now with transportation companies, such as Uber and Lyft, people can request rides shortly before they need to leave and then can meet their ride outside when it arrives.  This technological advance eliminates the time and uncertainty that comes with the old practice of hailing a cab.
  • To further this example, I could research the trend in demand for traditional taxi cabs vs. Uber/Lyft.  I could also enhance this argument by incorporating how Americans greatly value efficiency.   

• Through the Internet and apps, airline passengers can check-in for their flights before even arriving at the airport.  With this feature, flyers do not have to allocate time for standing in line at the airline desks waiting to check-in.
  • To further this example, I could research how much time people allocate to get to the gate for their flight.  With this example, I could also discuss the value of efficiency in modern American society.

Companies utilize technology to reduce labor costs.

• Many companies are replacing workers with technology.  This can be seen with the abundance of self-checkout options at grocery stores, automated car washes, kiosk ordering stations, driverless Ubers, and more.
  • To further this example, I could research a specific company and analyze how the change in their labor costs with the implementation of technology.

Kids these days do not get the traditional childhood experience.

• Back in the day, kids used to meet up and play with other kids.  This taught kids how to develop friendships, handle conflict in certain situations, utilize their imagination to come up with games, and how to tough out a minor injury.  However, nowadays, kids spend a significant amount of time in the comfort of their homes watching TV, playing video games, or surfing the Internet. With this isolation from other kids, they do not develop the skills that defined the traditional childhood experience.
  • To further this example, I could research specifics on how kids spend their time these days and how these activities differ from those of older times.  I could analyze this comparison to formulate implications about how these differences affect childhood development.