Why Modern Convenience Feels So Inconvenient

Gabe Bullard, author of Against Convenience, explains why many modern tools designed to make life easier—self-checkout, mobile ordering, streaming, dating apps—often leave us feeling more stressed and less satisfied. He details how these conveniences shift labor onto the user, degrade the richness of relationships, and overwhelm us with too many choices. Bullard shares Wendell Berry's framework for evaluating new technologies and offers practical ways to add deliberate friction back into daily life to reclaim meaning and presence.