Indicators of economic development, like the GDP, do not always tell us how people are really doing. Or at least how they feel.
When the Pew Research Center asked 43,000 people from 38 countries if the world is better off now than it was 50 years ago, 43 percent said yes while 38 percent said no.
Interested in what things the latter group blames for their discontent, Reddit user Madbonkersbean made a post on the platform, asking everyone “What invention has most negatively impacted society?” Here are some of the most upvoted replies they’ve received.
Image credits: Madbonkersbean
#1
> In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
Image source: jzolg, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
#2
Social media
I’ve watched society go from mildly disgruntled over multiple decades, to flat out delusional and insane within 5 years.
Nothing else has touched that many people all at once and undermined how we used to think of ourselves
Image source: horse1066, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
#3
Subscription based everything.
Image source: iGhast, Darina Belonogova / pexels (not the actual photo)
#4
LED headlights. F**k that guy.
Image source: ProbablyBigfoot, Erik Mclean / pexels (not the actual photo)
#5
Religion.
Hands down.
Image source: Mushu84, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
#6
Pop up ads… even the inventor hated it
Image source: wtiger430, Anna Tarazevich / pexels (not the actual photo)
#7
The thing that has the most negative long term impact on society is probably going to be something affecting us right now that we have yet to experience the full ramifications of
My bet is on the widespread presence of plastic in literally everything
Image source: badgersprite, Magda Ehlers / pexels (not the actual photo)
#8
Facebook. Hands down.
Millions of users that are basically technologically illiterate with no critical thinking skills finly connected. They put faith/trust in the articles with attention grabbing headlines that are shared by their peers because they trust their peers and grew up in a time where you relied on the people in your community. But with no critical thinking skills they don’t understand that an article about the earth being flat that was produced by an amateur crystal enthusiast has no scientific basis. They don’t even know at the bare minimum to verify the source.
“Well aunt Edna shared it and she knows a thing or two.”
It allowed misinformation and stupidity to spread incredibly quickly.
Image source: TheStankTank, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
#9
I think the way that capitalism is designed to bring psychopaths and sociopaths to the top. those heartless f***s would fire their own parents/siblings for personal gain.
Image source: BiluochunLvcha, Kuncheek / pexels (not the actual photo)
#10
Trying to make money of almost every human need.
Image source: tuvoksnightmare, Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo)
#11
Deepfake, the fact this has lead to morphing of many women images to “punish” them or to sexualize them is scary af. Literally feels like revenge p**n
Image source: Jarisatis, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
#12
AI, wait and see
Image source: GrumpyGoblin94, ThisIsEngineering / pexels (not the actual photo)
#13
Warning labels. They impede the progress of natural selection.
Image source: CoffeeAndBrass, Mat Brown / pexels (not the actual photo)
#14
Daylight Savings Time, at least where I live. You go forward an hour for spring and summer months, and you go back an hour in fall and winter. If you don’t adjust very well to change, it can be a real b***h.
Image source: Flat-Investigator-96, Jimmy Chan / pexels (not the actual photo)
#15
Tiktok
Image source: BrianneLassiter, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
#16
Nuclear weapons: devastating impact, global tensions, potential for catastrophic conflict.
Image source: EtherealSunseet, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
#17
Plastic, right now you have microplastics in every single organ, including your brain.
Image source: Carnir, Anna Shvets / pexels (not the actual photo)
#18
Cigarettes killed 100million people in the back 80 years of the 20th century alone.
Image source: FausttTheeartist, Fandy Much / pexels (not the actual photo)
#19
Infinite Scrolling and I daresay algorithms that feed into an echo chamber.
Image source: Swimming_Sun_1225, Kerde Severin / pexels (not the actual photo)
#20
High-fructose corn syrup
Image source: Moon_Jewel90, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
#21
Kid friendly ‘youtube shorts’. I just feel like it ruins the attention span of children, giving them short/one minute attention spans over time. They just get sucked into that s**t. I know it’s not super significant compared to other inventions that could’ve negatively impacted society. I’m trying to think of something that might not have been mentioned here yet lol.
Image source: Bojack89, Jessica Lewis thepaintedsquare / pexels (not the actual photo)
#22
Asbestos. I feel very bad for the people who were unknowingly affected by it.
Image source: beligerentMagpie, Elina Volkova / pexels (not the actual photo)
#23
The 24-hour news cycle .
They have so much time that they have to make more stories to keep you informed. 24-hour news will be our downfall. Half an hour every night is enough.
Image source: VeryFastTony, alleksana / pexels (not the actual photo)
#24
Junk food.
Image source: yic0, Caleb Oquendo / pexels (not the actual photo)
#25
Leaded petrol is estimated to have lowered the IQ of everyone born in the 60s and 70s by around 6%.
That’s my excuse anyway, what’s yours?
Image source: night_of_knee, Connor Forsyth / pexels (not the actual photo)
#26
Everyone here is only drawing from relatively recent examples , but if you go back longer then really alcohol is the winner here as it has had the most long lived and consistent negative impact on all societies around the world.
Image source: dettrick, Mahrael Boutros / pexels (not the actual photo)
#27
Sugar in our food and drinks.
Image source: PrizedMaintenance420, Alexander Grey / pexels (not the actual photo)
#28
Ive got a few here but if i have to pick one:
Fractional reserve banking and fiat currency. Giving the banks power to manipulate the value of currency has been a blight on society, it has been used to enrich the banks and steal wealth of money, i wish we could go back to money being a unit of value not a fiat currency that can be manipulated.
Image source: SneakyLabradoodle, Expect Best / pexels (not the actual photo)
#29
Guns. Literally their only purpose is to take the life of another living thing.
Image source: Tictacjo
#30
Coffee pods
Image source: LaSage
#31
Adding lead to gasoline, adding lead to house paint, using lead pipes … I know that lead is a fundamental element, but exposure to lead in our environment causes cancer and brain damage.
Image source: Count2Zero, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
#32
It’s often speculated that had the cotton gin not been invented, slavery might have ended sooner
Image source: limasxgoesto0, Teona Swift / pexels (not the actual photo)
#33
PFAS
pipocapop:
This should be higher on the list. Almost all waterproof products and stain resistant products contain PFAS. Even fast food wrappers contain them. It is found in majority of water supplies and 90% of people’s blood and we don’t fully understand the health effects. It does not degrade and accumulates in the food chain.
Image source: Robertorgan81, Esra Afşar / pexels (not the actual photo)
#34
Shareholder Value
Image source: PamelaOfMosman, MayoFi / pexels (not the actual photo)
#35
Nuclear arms race and proliferation…
Image source: LuminousLena-Inside
#36
Industial production of tobacco products.
Image source: FatRascal_
#37
Bitcoin
Image source: sp3lunk
#38
The leaf blower: Satan’s own instrument.
Image source: ED_the_Bad, Vlad Vasnetsov / pexels (not the actual photo)
#39
Lobotomy.
In hindsight very few unlucky people actually underwent lobotomy but still.
Image source: Doom0nU
#40
The invention of Fentanyl. Destroyed so many people, families and frankly society in general.
Image source: Howry, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
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