Thinking is becoming extinct. In the same way washing machines and cars have contributed to the atrophying of our bodies, our one-click world is slaughtering our need to think. Beating our clothes against a rock takes time and effort, even some struggle. So does thinking. Fortunately, we don’t actually need to think any longer.
- Spellcheck corrects our writing.
- A spreadsheet handles the math.
- Facebook reminds us of birthdays.
- Phone numbers are stored in our iPhone.
- GPS ensures we get there.
- Siri can find a hip restaurant.
- Alexa purchases flowers for our anniversary.
- Amazon ships same day if we fail to plan ahead.
- Linked In shows us who to connect with.
- Yelp filters out the poorly rated businesses.
- HootSuite will tweet while we’re sleeping.
- Google Ads recommend helpful products.
- FitBit reminds us to exercise.
- BuzzFeed filters our news.
- Indeed finds who’s hiring.
- Shazam deciphers the song that’s playing.
- Match.com tells us who to date.
- Crystal tells us others’ communication preferences.
- An assessment chooses our career path.
Inventions like escalators meant we no longer needed to exert energy to ascend a stairwell. Now, Uber ensures we can get to that trendy new restaurant five blocks away in under 3 minutes.
But at what cost?
Obesity has doubled in the US over the past three decades and 80% of adults do not meet the basic physical activity recommendations. In fact, sitting is the new smoking and it’s killing us.
Are our brains the next in line to become obsolete? A million ingenious Apps have freed up our time to do amazing things, but are we using that time wisely? Before clicking to the next thing, take a moment to think about it.
Happy hunting.
P.S. Here’s a scary thought: the mere presence of your smartphone reduces brain power (see study here).