The Convenience Revolution

Robert Capps wrote an article in The Wired entitled "The Good Enough Revolution: When Cheap and Simple Is Just Fine" where he discusses that with the advances in technology, quality and features are sacrificed for the ease of use, continuous availability and low price. I think his title's choice of words degrades the advantages and improvements this "revolution" has brought.

Our society is constantly looking for ways to make our lives easier and more convenient. Capps talks about the use of digital cameras as one of his "good enough" examples. Even now, digital cameras are declining as smartphone cameras have dominated as our main tool of picture-taking. It's not that smartphone pictures are "good enough." They may not provide the resolution and clarity of a DSLR camera, but they get the job done when you need to capture the moment instantly. Instead of carrying a camera with you, taking it out of your bag, making sure it's charged, etc., a smartphone does the same job with less hassle. Technology is not making things "good enough;" it's simply making things more convenient and easy to use to save time and do more. 

I will counter that although we seek more convenient methods, there are also those who prefer the traditional methods and are willing to forgo price and simplicity, especially for things of high importance to us. People invest in photographers with digital cameras for important events like weddings. Companies buy several copies of newspapers or magazines when their business is distinguishably featured for an important reason. People still buy their favorite DVDs or book in analog version because of the importance in plays in their lives. For the everyday things convenience will win, but its the perceived value that motivates people not to settle for the convenient way.

In the below TED talk by Kevin Kelly, he discusses the evolution of the idea of technology, tracing it back to early civilization. He says, "And so, what technology gives us, over the long term, over the sort of extended evolution -- from the beginning of time, through the invention of the plants and animals, and the evolution of life, the evolution of brains -- what that is constantly giving us is increasing differences: It's increasing diversity, it's increasing options, it's increasing choices, opportunities, possibilities and freedoms. That's what we get from technology all the time." The new technology of Capps' Good Enough Revolution simply provides more options for people to go about their daily lives.