The growing culture of impatience makes us crave more and more instant gratification In the time it takes for you to read this ... oh, forget it
By Christopher Muther Globe Staff / February 1, 2013
Melissa Francis has no patience for waiting - for anything. When the
26-year-old Allston barista talks about slow Internet connections, she can barely hide her disdain. Waiting a couple of extra seconds for a page to load feels like an eternity."I'm not proud of it, but I yell at my computer when it's slow," Francis said.
The demand for instant results is seeping into every corner of our lives, and not just virtually. Retailers are jumping into same-day delivery services. Smart phone apps eliminate the wait for a cab, a date, or a table at a hot restaurant. Movies and TV shows begin streaming in seconds. But experts caution that instant gratification comes at a price: it's making us less patient.
The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project sums up a recent study about people under the age of 35 and the dangers of their hyperconnected lives with what sounds like a prescription drug warning: "Negative effects include a need for instant gratification and loss of patience."
It's not just Gen Y, of course. Anyone who's growled in frustration while a website loads or while on hold with a doctor's office knows tolerance for delay is in short supply. But impatience may be most pronounced among the young, wired nearly from birth.
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One of the satisfactions of my job is that I get to see mainstream media echoing the concerns I voiced years ago.
Bill Horne Moderator