Hook. I gave you what you expected in the shortest and most direct way possible. That is how we live our lives, driven by the idea of instant gratification. Everyday we want things to happen the way we want them to happen and in the quickest and easiest way possible. Through technology we have become more and more focused on the minutia of everyday life, fixating on who liked our picture on Instagram or who just made my phone buzz. We crave these spikes in interest and is why we can't resist constantly checking your phone. Outside of technology, we see instant gratification being marketed by companies through adds like "Lose 7 Lbs in 7 Days" (Patel). It is also seen in the failure rate of new businesses because young entrepreneurs have been conditioned to want things immediately so they focus on the short term rather than the long term.  Regardless of if it is an individual interacting with technology or the market, a business wanting immediate success, or a student incapable of understanding the importance of learning information, most people look for the shortest, easiest, and most direct route from point A to point B. This mind set is leading our society in a way that keeps us from delaying instant gratification and focusing on long term goals that will bring much more favorable results. If people learn what they are doing wrong, and are cued to make more long term decisions they will and they will benefit immensely from it (Ying-Yao, Shin, Chiou). Instant gratification has created a selfish society needing immediate results, which will, if not limited, hinder our ability to achieve success in all aspects of life. 

Its hard to imagine life without technology. Over the past 10 years especially, technology has grown and developed into one of, if not the biggest influencers on today's society. Of this technology, the smart phone has lead the pack in terms of both growth and societal impact. According to research done by the Pew Research Center, there was so few people in 2010 that they didn't even list a percentage in their data for the number of people who owned smartphones. However, a study done in 2015 by the same research center shows that 86% of people between the age of 18-24 and 68% of adults collectively have smart phones. The significance is not to show how technology companies have developed a product that a very large population wants. The real importance in this is that it shows the amount of people with access to an overwhelming amount of information. Smartphones are so significant because of what they allow. Opposed to just 5 years ago, now the majority of the population has access to the internet wherever they are as long as they have connection, which is almost anywhere on Earth. This access has opened the doors to endless possibilities of people getting what they want when they want it, and that is why the growth of technology is so significant when looking at the beginning of the instant gratification we know today. 

 The growth of technology has brought with it the ability for much greater forms of interaction between humans. The most influential of which is through the immergence of social media. Social media is an amazing way to stay connected with people, or even reconnect with people from your past. It allows for a much more unique form of communication compared to talking or texting which has been around for much longer. One of the reasons that we like social media so much is the immediate satisfaction we get when we use it. Bucknell University released an article in mid 2014 written by Ronald Aslop about instant gratification and its dark side. In the article Aslop says that the reason social media companies have been able to attract so many users, is because they supply the instant gratification that people have grown to need in their lives(Aslop). I can speak from experience, that when I post a picture on Instagram I crave the likes that I know will come when I press the "post" button. And when I start getting likes, it makes me happy for a few seconds or a minute and then it fades and I need another like. No matter how many likes you or I get, it's never enough because we have associated our self worth or status, especially in high school, with how many likes we get. This is dangerous because we are never satisfied and the happiness that those likes bring are irrelevant. Another reason we crave them is because it is fast and easy, almost automatic. Another downfall of social media is people often get taken advantage of.  For example, there are a lot of people on social media that claim to be entrepreneurial or economic guru's who are actually just people who know how to exploit people's weaknesses. They post pictures on Instagram with a Ferrari and are trying to sell an eBook or a plan to achieve success quickly such as how to make a million dollars in a year. And the only reason this works is because people have been conditioned to be satisfied as quickly as possible. This tactic is also used in the marketing world outside of social media. 

In today's world, marketers can't use the same tactics as they used even 3 years ago. The immergence of social media has led to a strong push towards using those sites to sell and attract new customers. The growing need for instant gratification has also led companies to change their tactics. In an article published by the Huffington Post, author Andy Karuza shows companies how to exploit people's weaknesses in terms of needing things immediately in order to boost sales. Towards the end of the article he mentions what is the epitome of the effect instant gratification has on our lives saying "Make the human attention span of eight seconds your benchmark" (Karuza). By this, he is telling the companies which are his main audience that in order to have an effective marketing pitch, it needs to be in 8 seconds or less, and if it isn't then you will lose the attention of future customers. This is important because it highlights how our society as shaped our needs. If we don't get what we want within seconds, then we move on and never think about it again. Not only do companies use our developed weakness of wanting everything immediately against us, some companies either create products or services that satisfy our needs or even develop their entire country around the idea of giving people what they want as soon as possible. 

 Why wait when you can have it now? That's the motto people often abide by now and the motto that companies like Amazon and Uber have adopted. In 2005, Amazon launched a new service known as Amazon Prime(Mangalindan). It costs $99 a year, and provides free 2-day shipping on an unlimited amount of items bought in that year(Kim). This service is obviously targeted at those people who buy a lot from amazon and are willing to pay for the convenience of getting their purchased goods as soon as possible. Recently, they began to adopt an even more expedited process in certain cities known as Prime Now. Prime Now allows 1-day shipping for free if you spend $35 or more, and 1-hour shipping for an additional cost of $7.99(Kim). This shows over the past 10 years, consumer's desires to get things as soon as possible had grown stronger and is impacting the way companies run their business. On the other hand, Uber is a very young company that has grown faster than anyone, even the people who are in charge of projections for Uber, would have predicted. The wide acceptance of this new company is due to one reason, which is that people want things when they want it and if its not now, then it isn't fast enough. If they don't want to wait for a bus to come or hail down a cab, they can request a driver and they will be waiting outside to pick them up. Fast, easy, and get what they want when they want it. That is the ideal business model in today's world.

The unfortunate reality of today is that everyone wants the quick fix, especially when it comes to making money. That is why 8 out of 10 businesses fail in the first 18 months according to an article in Forbes(Wagner). This occurs for 2 main reasons. Firstly, entrepreneurs lack the ability to think about the future because society has conditioned them to only focus on short term rewards. So when these entrepreneurs try to start a business they don't think about what could happen in the future by worrying so much on getting the most amount of money they can in the shortest amount of time as possible. Gary Vaynerchuck, CEO of Vaynermedia and successful businessman, commented on this topic in one of his recent YouTube videos saying "I don't think anything comes fast" (Vaynerchuck). I think this is true in all aspects of life especially in business. Too many people see successful people and want the shortcut to get what they have when those people have been working for what they have for 5, 10, 50, years maybe even their whole life. Our constant satisfaction we receive on a day to day basis is forming us into thinking that we can get everything we want whenever we want it. And that is simply not the case. Ronald Aslop from the Bucknell University article mentioned earlier comments on this topic saying that a lot of young professionals today think they are entitled to a pay raise or promotion every few months and when they don't get both or either of those things they get frustrated and some even quit(Aslop). This example further shows how people, especially the younger generation, think that good things happen quick and on their schedule. This sense of entitlement has been instilled in them over years of constant gratification and it is limiting their professional lives. Instant gratification is also a substantial aspect in today's fitness world.

Many people, especially in the United States, feel that they are unhappy with they way their body looks. A study presented in a CNN article even said that more than half of girls, and one third of boys between the ages of 6-8 feel that their body weight should be lower than it currently is(Wallace). This is scary because the only thing kids at this age should be worried about is what to wear to school the next day, or who to pick for their kickball team at recess. Unfortunately, media has presented what they feel is an ideal form and everyone thinks they need to look like that to be accepted. This is one reason why supplement companies are so successful in selling their products and also why it is so dangerous to believe everything you see on the internet. In 2012, a company called Shredz was built and hit the market through the use of Instagram marketing(Bort). The CEO, Arvin Lal sought out athletes, some of which have been caught using photo shop on Instagram, to endorse his products and push them to the younger generations(Bort). One marketing strategy that they use is promoting these contests that say they could win thousands of dollars if they have the best 30-day transformation using their supplements. This uses instant gratification in two ways, firstly intriguing people by telling them they can lose weight in a short period of time and also by giving them a lot of money in a short period of time. Weirdly enough, there has never been a winner of this cash prize. Most likely because they do not care about their customers and are just trying to make as much money as possible before people figure out what they are doing. Another company called USPlabs showed their desire to make money fast without keeping their consumers in mind by putting synthetic ingredients made in China in their pre-workout and fat burning supplements claiming they were natural ingredients. 

There are many people who believe that instant gratification isn't a problem, and some even think it is a positive thing. Technology, the main mode of instant gratification, allows us to get what we want when we want it, and some would argue that this isn't a bad thing. After all who doesn't want something as soon as possible (this is the issue)? Instant gratification can also be seen outside of simply the responses we get from technology. For example, Jason Hera wrote an article about how instant gratification is good for you, in this article he describes a situation of how long it takes for teachers to give back assignments(Hera). Hera says that if teachers were to give back tests and homework, more quickly then it would actually improve learning. Instead, since it takes teachers sometimes up to weeks to return a big test or quiz, the window for correcting the mistakes you made has past because you have begun new material and can't afford to get lost in what your learning by going to previous course material(Hera). Though this example is appealing, the negatives surrounding this situation could easily be curbed. If a student really wanted to know how they did, or had a question about a problem on a homework or test then they could seek out extra help in the window of learning before they move on in the class. Rather than being proactive, students often become impatient when they don't get their grades right away because they expect the teacher to give them what they want. This, is the first reason why instant gratification needs to be limited in the lives of all members in society, especially the younger generations still being molded. 

Patience is one of the most important virtues in living a balanced and successful life. Through the progression of our culture, patience is something that has began to fade due to our need for instant gratification. Ronald Aslop published an article in Notre Dame's magazine discussing how patience is affected by instant gratification. He describes today's culture saying "We want  --  no, demand  --  everything right now. Once a virtue, patience is becoming as rare as handwritten letters(Aslop)." My mother would be the first to agree with this as she is waiting for a hand written letter from her son and that is because like letters, patience has been overridden by technology. Why send a letter when you can facetime, or call the person instead? Similarly, why be patient when you can get small bits of happiness immediately? The problem with instant gratification is what it does for us now, but how it effects us as we develop. Getting everything we want when we want it is creating a stigma that we can always get what we want whenever we want it and that is not true. Reiterating what Gary Vaynerchuck said, nothing valuable comes easy. This describes our growing inability to be patient perfectly. As seen in the failure of businesses mentioned previously or the companies like Shredz who use photo shopped athletes and cash prize gimmicks to sell products because they know how people think. They know that people want the easiest way from where they are to where they want to go. Whether it is financially, socially, or academically, people want the straightest and shortest line from point A to point B as possible. Unfortunately, no results will be worth it through the easiest way out. This train of thought is also becoming increasingly common in the education system.

Everyday in schools, students across the country are memorizing facts and regurgitating the information so they can get a good grade on their test. Soon there after, when they pass in that test, they have a feeling of relief and let all the information they just crammed in their head fade away. This happens because they know they will never need it again, until the mid-term or final comes around in which case the process will repeat itself. Gary Vaynerchuck commented on this subject during an interview on YouTube saying "It is insane what our children are going through in the school system. They're making them memorize facts that are at their fingertips" (Gary Vaynerchuck). With the growth of technology, we have access to the majority of the information being taught in schools, so why should kids learn it? What motivation will these students have to learn this information when they know that they can look it up and have the answer if they really needed it? Jesse Weinberger touched on this in her TEDx talk about instant gratification, saying that being able to look information up and getting the answer immediately isn't a bad thing(Weinberger). The problem in this is that student's loss of motivation and desire to learn material because they can just look it up is setting them up for failure(Weinberger). It isn't the information that is necessarily important, rather it is the ability to learn information through practice. Not only does looking things up rather than learning hinder one's ability to learn in the future, it also causes these students to lose the ability of practicing something and working towards a final goal in the future. She also mentions that there is a character trait that is known as grit, which is "the ability to persevere past failure" (Weinberger). Grit is learned through the deliberate practice of any given task whether it is learning material or perfecting your form on vault, the constant failure and practice which eventually leads to success is how grit is developed. Instant gratification takes away the experiences of correcting your failures and work towards a goal.

Without goals, it is impossible to become successful. Setting goals, no matter how small or outrageous is so important because it sets you on the right track and forces you to work towards it. I once heard a piece of advice that read, aim for the moon, even if you don't reach it you'll land amongst the stars. Basically, we each need to set goals in life that are outrageous and seem almost impossible and work towards that goal; and even if we fail, we will have accomplished a great deal more than if we never tried in the first place. Our need and constant consumption of getting whatever we want when we want it changes our mind set from long term goals to short term rewards. This is why we need to limit instant gratification in our lives. The majority of people in this world want to be successful, and the world we live in today has too many easy ways out that impede our ability to focus on ourselves and bettering our future. In order to be successful in whatever venture of life whether it be health, personal finances, or simply being happy, our success is predicated on our ability to over come obstacles and keep working. The only way to do this is to make goals, both long term and short term, and work towards them, because the fulfillment you get from reaching a goal you've worked hard for will be far more rewarding than anything that comes easy. 

Instant gratification has created a society in need of immediate results that, which will, if not limited, hinder our ability of achieving success in all aspects of life. In saying this it is important to look at the evolution of society. We have evolved into a highly technological world, and that can't and won't be changed for at least as long as our lifetime. It is important to accept this and learn how to use technology to improve life rather than take away from it. Our constant need for results, mainly caused by our exposure to our increasingly technological world capable of giving us what we want when we want it, is leading down a road of eventual unhappiness. In order to be your definition of happy, whether it is success in your work life, or health, or academic achievement, you need to set goals for the future and stop looking towards the false happiness people are selling on social media or through the app store. You can start by doing small thing such as putting your phone on airplane mode while working on as essay. This will force you to avoid getting the instant gratification of seeing a text from your friend or another notification. By doing this it will allow you to be more productive and less distracted by things that can wait. Ultimately, instant gratification can be controlled and if it is you and everyone else who tries will realize that the only way to get passed the ephemeral happiness it brings is by limiting it and working towards a goal that will prove hard works yields better results than that that comes easily. 

