Overview
From the bestselling author of Palo Alto, a kaleidoscopic and thought-provoking history of how America came to pursue convenience—the feeling of getting what you want, when you want it—at all costs, to the detriment of our health, happiness, and even our efficiency.
We are drowning in convenience.
You can get a burger or a sweatshirt or a can of paint thinner delivered right to your door. Songs, movies, TV shows, and books are available instantly. We expect our friends to answer our texts or video calls within moments. Romantic partners, AI companions, and helicopters to the airport are all just a swipe away. The world’s biggest companies are scrambling to build systems that can turn any arbitrary demand into a reality. But an increasing ability to get what we want doesn’t seem to correspond to an increase in general wellbeing. How can this be?
In this paradigm-shifting history, Malcolm Harris shows how convenience became American society’s main orienting principle—and how it is making us lonely, unfulfilled, and unhealthy, all while hurting workers and, ironically, requiring unnecessary effort. He breaks the Great Conveniencing into three key areas—transportation, food, entertainment—where we have traded quality and community for perceived ease.
Luckily, cold DoorDash meals and quiet Uber rides are not all there is. Harris lays out an alternate approach, an "elegant" world where we let go of our need to customize and control every moment of our existence.
Convenienced is a brilliant exploration of the social and economic processes that have defined modern life, and a call to open ourselves to the randomness, hassles, and joys of living in a shared world—one where we might just find something better than what we want.
We are drowning in convenience.
You can get a burger or a sweatshirt or a can of paint thinner delivered right to your door. Songs, movies, TV shows, and books are available instantly. We expect our friends to answer our texts or video calls within moments. Romantic partners, AI companions, and helicopters to the airport are all just a swipe away. The world’s biggest companies are scrambling to build systems that can turn any arbitrary demand into a reality. But an increasing ability to get what we want doesn’t seem to correspond to an increase in general wellbeing. How can this be?
In this paradigm-shifting history, Malcolm Harris shows how convenience became American society’s main orienting principle—and how it is making us lonely, unfulfilled, and unhealthy, all while hurting workers and, ironically, requiring unnecessary effort. He breaks the Great Conveniencing into three key areas—transportation, food, entertainment—where we have traded quality and community for perceived ease.
Luckily, cold DoorDash meals and quiet Uber rides are not all there is. Harris lays out an alternate approach, an "elegant" world where we let go of our need to customize and control every moment of our existence.
Convenienced is a brilliant exploration of the social and economic processes that have defined modern life, and a call to open ourselves to the randomness, hassles, and joys of living in a shared world—one where we might just find something better than what we want.
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