Speed-Living

"Our lives are filled with details... Simplify... simplify..."

-Henry David Thoreau

It seems that nowadays everything seems to evolve around the phrase “time is money”. People speed through their lives in search of, what would seem, the best bargain. Getting caught up in this chase is easy, remembering to slow down… harder. Through the constant exposure to advertisements, our emotions, reasoning and decision making process are manipulated. With the overload of information coming at us from every direction, it is hard to select the right one. The more options there are, the harder it is for us to choose, the more time we waste while choosing and the lower the satisfaction level of having made a good deal.

Life is becoming more monotone and blurry, and we might forget that we need some contrasts and highlights in order to enjoy it. What has happened to the quality of life and the cherished values? Are we really chasing, or are we becoming the chased?

In order to approach this question we need to look at how the constantly developing technology and systems meant to make life easier, faster and simpler, affect everyday life and change people’s attitudes, habits and perception.

Thanks to the Internet, not only do we have more options as it comes to material goods, but also in terms of meeting new people or choosing an education or career path.

Because of the faster communication and the ability to get in touch with more people we tend to be less selective when choosing our friends. The desire of being socially accepted and to stand out of the crowd may have been boosted even more by the increasing amount of competition and the possibility of creating a new online persona. But what effect do they have on the truthfulness of the relationship we have with ourselves?

On the one hand, the vast range of possibilities may encourage people to learn more and pursue more goals than they normally would. On the other hand, this ‘option overload’ may lead to distraction and uncertainty as to what to do with one’s life. Through the Internet and social media in particular, there is an awareness of the vast competition which may discourage some, because they fear that they will never be as successful as others.