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.
207points
#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
205points
#3
Subscription based everything.
203points
#4
LED headlights. F**k that guy.
171points
#6
Pop up ads... even the inventor hated it
167points
#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
159points
#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.
148points
#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.
127points
#10
Trying to make money of almost every human need.
127points
#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
120points
#12
AI, wait and see
116points
#13
Warning labels. They impede the progress of natural selection.
112points
#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.
112points
#16
Nuclear weapons: devastating impact, global tensions, potential for catastrophic conflict.
101points
#17
Plastic, right now you have microplastics in every single organ, including your brain.
99points
#18
Cigarettes killed 100million people in the back 80 years of the 20th century alone.
98points
#19
Infinite Scrolling and I daresay algorithms that feed into an echo chamber.
97points
