In 2009 Neil Postman published an article titled, “Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change”. He shares his ideas on the impacts of technological change based on his knowledge from studying the history of this topic for the past thirty years. Postman's second idea states, “the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies are never distributed evenly among the population. This means that every new technology benefits some and harms others.” This idea intrigued me the most because it forces into question, who is being negatively impacted and what those impacts are. Many technology users suppress the reality that what is helping them, can be hurting others; the often denied truth.

We live in a time of mountains of packages piled up on the doorstep the week before Christmas, instead of hidden away in moms closet. The excitement of running around a toy store trying to decide what to pick out is gone. This feeling has been replaced with seeing a brown box outside the door wrapped up in shipping tape. Less and less people are going shopping in stores and more and more are going shopping online. Malls are becoming graveyards, filled with items to buy but no one to buy them. 

The reason many people are making the switch from buying in store to online is because of convenience. As a result of this, brick and mortar stores are becoming increasingly endangered and face the possibility of extinction. We currently live in a world where everything around us is moving at a faster pace than ever before. This can be directly attributed to the advancement of technology. For instance, a smartphone allows one to have instant access to all information available to them at all times. As a society we have adapted to the convenience of being able to do something instantaneously through the use of technology.  Because of this, our level of patience has declined and having to go to a store has become a dreaded chore for many. To begin with, leaving your home to drive to a store is avoidable when the item can be easily purchased online. The shopping trip itself can be stressful and overwhelming. Constrictions of store hours, walking through isles, having to finding the correct item, and checkout lines; which can all be averted. Further, the aspect of interaction with others can be burdensome because of our acclimation to the online world, with no need for face to face communication.  Considering this, brick and mortar stores are losing the battle of keeping up with the technological advancements that make online shopping more favorable.

The ability to buy something through a couple taps on a phone or a click on a computer at anytime from any place is simply easier. No driving, no running around a store, and no human interaction necessary; it's easy.  Amazon, for example, carries virtually everything from dog food to jewelry. They offer a “Prime” membership for $99 a year or $10.99 a month to receive free two day shipping on eligible purchases. Meaning, one can receive an item on their front door step within two days of placing an order.  The prime membership fee covers an unlimited amount of orders that will not be charged for shipping. This membership provokes the consumer to continue ordering more from Amazon in order to obtain the full value of the annual or monthly fee. In addition to this Amazon has a “1-Click ordering” option which allows the consumer to complete the purchase of a product in one click of a button using saved shipping and billing information. New features are being created constantly to add convenience and efficiency.

Our clicks are demolishing stores. With the rising popularity of online shopping, brick and mortar stores are no longer needed. An example of this is Toys ‘R’ Us, which has failed to survive, filed for bankruptcy and closed all U.S stores. In the past, a trip to Toys ‘R’ Us was always a treat, for children to be surrounded by a maze of isles stacked with toys was their idea of heaven. Now, Toys ‘R’ Us buildings stand deserted of cheerful children. Workers of stores like these, that no longer make enough money to stay open, are being left unemployed.
We are quickly replacing humans with computers without considering how our slight conveniences can have negative repercussions on others.  Technological advances bring upon inevitable change; our lives must adapt as well, in order to accommodate these modifications. In the advancement of online shopping, brick and mortar stores are becoming moribund because they are losing their demand amongst these changes.  With these innovations, old and familiar habits are lost. As Postman would say, brick and mortar stores are “losers in the great computer revolution.”