The so-called wave of the future. Everything these days is technology driven. We even have computers small enough to fit in the palms of our hands, just a pipe dream 20 short years ago. Most of us Americans can’t go a day without using many different forms of technology, and it is becoming a problem. People need their twitter and instagram, something to quickly glance at and enjoy. The big question looms: are humans becoming too reliant on the technological age? Is instant gratification becoming a disease?  Many would answer yes to these questions, as would I. There will come a time in the future when technology, and the instant gratification that comes with it, just becomes too much for humans to handle, and it will spell the end for humanity as we know it.

It has always been in human nature to advance. Ever since humans first walked the earth, they have been steadily making steps forward. It has taken us 2,016 years to reach the technological peak of human existence, a peak that is only growing. Take cell phones for example. No person with a normal-functioning mind could have thought up the Iphone 25 years ago. Now, in just a very short 25 year window of human existence, it seems like every person owns an Iphone, or some kind of smartphone. They have just taken the world by storm, and the effects are already beginning to show with the youth of our country. Kids are becoming so technologically oriented. Along with the technology comes the instant gratification. Video games, social media, even texting all offers a form of instant gratification that kids are being exposed to more and more by the day. I have a friend who’s little brother is 13 years old. He grew up always having an Ipad or iphone in his hands and it shows. He loves bouncing around from thing to thing, game to game. He gets bored easily, and just looks for something new to give him that instant gratification. Some of that might just be natural behavior for a kid, but I feel like there’s more to it. With kids being exposed to all of this instant gratification at such a young age, their brains will develop to be reliant on instant gratification, and that is not how the real world works. When you grow up living a certain lifestyle, it is almost impossible to change it, especially when the lifestyle keeps growing and adapting.

The most glaring problem Just the instant gratification takes away the concept of work. Even our generation, let alone the kids coming up do not appreciate the concept of work. It’s not necessarily their fault, it’s just the lifestyle brought on by the instant gratification aspect of technology. If the technological age keeps advancing, and children continue to be exposed to this “instant gratification, no work” type of mindset, future generations will become far too lazy and reliant on their machines. Now, this will not happen overnight. It will take many generations of gradual technological advancement. But, eventually, technology, and the disease that accompanies it, will just become too advanced for humans to handle.  Too much reliance is a terrible thing. I can not tell you exactly what will happen, but no case of over-reliance ever ends well. Being over-reliant on instant gratification is extremely dangerous. All drive to work, to stick with something, and to invest your time and effort into something that you are passionate about leaves. When you think about it, that is what this world is built on, and has thrived on. By the time technology does destroy the human race, this column will be long lost. But, it will happen, and I don’t think there’s anyway to prevent it.