Innovation is exciting. Innovations saves time, saves lives, connects people, yadda yadda yadda. But it's not going to make you happy. If anything, it can easily enable all those bad habits you kind of wish deep down you didn't have - like keeping your BlackBerry on the nightstand.
If innovation is the delivery of tomorrow's necessity today, before you know you need it, then I'm pretty sure it's creating some pretty crazy neccesities.
Consider the smartphone. While it offers a wealth of access and usability, it also feeds into our nueroces about being disconnected from the office. While the smartphone allows us to work from the road, it also allows us to check email when we shouldn't be. And let's be honest, being bored and still hanging in there at your kid's little league game is part of the experience. When your kid looks up and sees you bored as hell but still watching him and supporting him, he gets a message. When you're on your blackberry, they get a different one.
With the proliferation of ease of access technologies it becomes far easier to connect rather than to live. This constant connectivity can easily creap up on a person, ultimatley reaching the point that there is never a moment of disconnectivity other than sleep. And even when you're sleeping, it's all right there on your nightstand waiting for you to check in as soon as you wake up. This background pressure creates a sense of constant multi-tasking. Smelling the roses is no longer a solitary experience.
Man was not built to be always on or always background processing. There used to be a time when taking the train meant meeting people and interacting with one another. Now I'm a bit annoyed when I run into someone on the train because this is the time I generally use to catch up on podcasts and emails.
Just because it's innovative, doesn't mean it's going to make you happier. Only you can make that decision. But if you're ready to get stressed out or overworked, this is the perfect generation for you.
Then again, you can always open your eyes and realize that the life you care most about is also that much closer to you, no matter where you are.
Inspired by the video below:
