In developed nations, which are reliant on technology, the quality of life has undeniably skyrocketed over the last century; the internet, vaccines, personal computers, transistors, and of course, our phones, have made this possible. Although this progress is remarkable, the increase in convenience has led to a decrease in self-sufficiency. To put this into perspective, your phone has the ability to deliver anything and everything you could desire to you on a silver platter. You can make calls from around the globe, calculate math problems, update calendars, and so forth. In the blink of an eye, humanity has transitioned from performing these tasks manually to accomplishing them instantly through the convenience of a single device.
Although convenience is not necessarily negative, it weakens the overall skills humanity may develop. For example, access to GPS may reduce spatial awareness and logical understanding skills. Furthermore, even the algorithms on platforms such as Instagram or TikTok are designed to function as a distraction, providing a short-term dopamine boost for the user in exchange for decreasing productivity. These conveniences replace your raw experiences with a type of augmented reality.
In general, individuals are becoming increasingly complacent with these fake experiences. Teenagers in this generation struggle to go a day without their phones. Devices originally meant to be helpful aids are becoming addictions. These types of safety nets minimize an individual’s ability to face struggles. What will happen when an inevitable power outage strikes? Or if an internet connection is lost? At that point, many fail to function independent of their devices. These modern habits encourage people to be accustomed to an environment of comfort, unlike in the past, where generations were taught to be adaptable.
One of the largest uses of the internet is Artificial Intelligence. AI is a nuanced tool with a great number of pros and cons; while it can help students and employees figure out their tasks, it can also decrease those user’s independent cognitive ability. Furthermore, according to websites such as the UN Environment Program, “They are large consumers of water, which is becoming scarce in many places. They rely on critical minerals and rare elements, which are often mined unsustainably”. Not only does AI risk deepening vulnerabilities such as water consumption, but it also creates new issues, such as unsustainable mining of rare metals. With overreliance on AI, our society continues to lose vital resources and a sense of deftness. Controlled use of AI, on the other hand, can actually be beneficial to our community. AI is not going to go away any time soon; it is up to our society to use it as an aide rather than a wonder drug.
All of these issues may accumulate to create a weaker society in the future. As far as we have come, the increasing inefficiency of this generation seems to predict a world where humans fail to solve their problems as individuals and as a society. Instead of using these tools to define our identity as a whole, each individual should choose to set themselves apart and utilize technology as a supplement to their personal abilities.
Work Cited
“AI has an environmental problem. Here’s what the world can do about that.” UNEP, 13 November 2025, https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about. Accessed 29 January 2026.
