Has the Internet Made Us Impatient?

One widespread statement about the internet at this present moment in history is that it is the equivalent to the Wild West. The internet has its dark parts and its weird parts, but we have also seen the benefits and good that has come out of the internet. Netflix serves many of our entertainment needs while twitter and facebook are there when we are bored. But has the presence of the internet made us impatient?

The New York Times seems to think so based on an article written by Tara Parker-Pope. In the article, the author describes how experts seem to believe, “…excessive use of the Internet, cellphones and other technologies can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful, and even more narcissistic”. The article goes on to look into the effects of internet addiction and how our brains react to impulses from using the internet. One interesting thing to think about is the effect of instant messaging vs calling people on the telephone. We send text messages in short bursts to get our thoughts to another person. This is much faster than looking up a person’s phone number and calling to have a conversation. In this sense, the internet has had an effect on how fast we communicate information to others.

Another affected area of society in terms of the internet is the traditional news media. Many news outlets over the past few years have transitioned to using twitter to release their top stories of breaking news. A small study by the Pew Research Center actually found that the amount of “buzz” generated on twitter and traditional news media is very similar. This is interesting to look at because on traditional news media (newspapers and the evening news), stories are not out to the public until the next printed issue of the paper is released or the next airing of the news spot. Twitter on the other hand has the ability to present consumers and even non-consumers information as it happens. This is important for news outlets where the goal is to be the first to break a story and get more eyes on your content.

This Ted talk also explains how social media has connected the world in a very unique way and how this is affecting the traditional news cycle.

But what about consumerism? One article from tv.com talks about how Netflix releases entire seasons of television shows at one time is changing how consumers watch TV. Subscribers to the Netflix service no longer have to wait for an entire week for the next episode of their favorite show to release, when all episodes are viewable at the same time. And what about Cyber Monday shoppers? There are many reports like this one from Internet Retailer that describe how the transition from in store shoppers to online shoppers increases each year. However there are just as many to counter this statement, like this article from Forbes which claims 90% of their interviewed shoppers across all demographics said they prefer shopping in stores. However, this was a survey of 2,500 people, and as we have discussed in class, cannot begin to account for the billions of people using the internet daily. My personal opinion is that it is more convenient to find specifically what you are looking for online and have it shipped to your doorstep.

In conclusion, I think it is appropriate to suggest that we as a society have become more impatient due to the internet. A lot of this evidence points in that direction and I am sure many of us as a result of growing up with the internet in some fashion have been affected by it as well.

One thought on “Has the Internet Made Us Impatient?

  1. Erika Michele Cristiano

    I definitely agree that the Internet has made us impatient. When my wifi disconnects I immediately feel anxious and actually get angry. The internet is also my go-to source for everything, whenever I need an answer to a question I automatically go to search it on google. In some ways this is good and in many ways this is bad. Our society has a major problem with social media and is very dependent on technology. Overall a great blog discussing this problem! Heres an article from the New York Times on the discussion of how impatient we have become Click here

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