Is technology making our lives more convenient or are we getting lazier?

Posted at 4:58 PM, Aug 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-20 13:45:33-04

It seems there are apps to do almost anything--bring you food, run your errands, pick you up and more. 

Now, a new startup called Yoshi will send someone to fill up your car with gas. 

With all the apps that aim to make your life more convenient, it poses the question-- are we just becoming lazier?

“Folks will choose the path of least resistance when faced with two choices, you will usually do or almost always do what’s easiest,” says MSU Denver marketing professor Darrin Duber-Smith.

It seems the only finger lifting we have to do is a few taps on a screen to get what we want. We have Uber and Lyft for when you need a ride. If you want food delivered straight to your door, you can use Door Dash or Postmates. And, now there is even an app that will have someone stand in line for you at the DMV. That company is YoGov, and they are based out of California. 


Duber-Smith says there will always be a price to pay for convenience. 

“When you increase the level of service as a marketer, there’s going to be an associated cost with that service," says Duber-Smith. "Luckily, consumers are willing to pay more for that service for that convenient component.”

What’s ironic, Duber-Smith says, is these apps are allowing us to have more free time, but we often don’t see it that way. 

"We do have more time than ever before; it's just how we are using it," explains Duber-Smith. "If you add up the amount of time we watch television and use social media and the internet, you're talking about several hours a day."