Friction. Life today is frictionless. You want food? Uber Eats. You want sex? Tinder. You want to go up? Elevator. You want to lose weight? Ozempic. You want to learn something? Social media algorithms predict your interests before you even realize you have them.
Everything today revolves around the idea of removing friction from our lives. While appealing, in the long term, this frictionless existence may negatively affect human fulfillment. Social media effortlessly feeds you content tailored specifically to your interests, reinforcing your echo chamber. This experience contrasts sharply with the real, physical world, where friction is inevitable. Don’t believe me? Try passing immigration control in a crowded airport. Navigate government bureaucracy. Squeeze onto the subway during rush hour. These experiences involve real friction precisely because they exist outside the digital realm. Yet corporations increasingly invest more money and resources into removing digital friction rather than addressing the tangible challenges of the physical world. People are drifting away from reality, where genuine effort, time, and friction are required, opting instead for digital worlds that provide instant dopamine hits straight from their pockets.
Who bears responsibility for this? Is it individuals who choose convenience over challenge? Companies that exploit our susceptibility to manipulation, prediction, and emotional control online? Or perhaps governments, whose responsibility includes ensuring basic human needs and fostering genuine social connection?
While many of us (including myself) enjoy the frictionless lifestyle modern technology offers, deep satisfaction rarely emerges from hours spent passively doomscrolling. Life’s greatest joys and most profound lessons often arise from overcoming significant struggles. Our deepest growth as humans typically occurs when we face adversity head-on. Indeed, it’s through confronting friction that we truly find meaning.
Annoyance is the price we pay for community.