Does the Internet Fuel Our Need for Instant Gratification?

Have we become obsessed with instant gratification as a nation? It certainly seems that way, as America's record debt levels rise as a result of our need to have everything that our heart desires as soon as we can have it, even if we can't afford it. Something that we haven't thought of is whether this instant gratification is being encouraged by the speed of the internet. Have we become so accustomed to instant gratification on the internet that we need to have it in all areas of our lives?

According to the Marubeni Research Institute, U.S. household consumption levels increased by 4% from 1997-2004, with unusually high growth in the late 1990s. Interestingly, this is a period in which internet usage grew at a rapid pace, with many Americans just getting accustomed to the fast-paced information highway that the internet provides.

It's hard to think that this is just a coincidence. We use Instant Messenger to immediately get in touch with our friends. We zip out an email message in seconds, sending the latest digital picture of our kids. We immediately download the music that we want to hear on our iPods. We get immediate information on our favorite sports teams, with the ability to watch or listen to games from across the country. Students can complete research projects from their homes instead of trudging out to the library. Instant gratification abounds in all aspects of the internet, it seems.

It wasn't always like this though. In the "good old days," we had to use snail mail to deliver our messages to out-of-town friends and family. Before the internet, we had to wait to hear our favorite song on the radio, or go to the store to buy the latest record or cassette. Kids actually had to pick up a book and read it in order to finish their homework.

With the instant gratification that the internet provides, it does not seem like a fluke that our patience is not great for waiting in any aspect of our lives. I have to admit that I click my "Check Mail" button over and over again in hopes that my email messages will come to me more quickly and I can't imagine not being able to use Google searches to find the latest information on anything and everything. I remember what it was like to wait for things though, and I have to admit that it is a little scary to think of how the next generation's need for instant gratification can and probably will top ours.