more and more people today expect to get what they want instantly ( goods, services, news), without having to wait. Why is this ? Do you think this expectations to get things instantly is a positive or negative development?

The expectation of receiving goods, services, and information without delay has become a defining feature of modern life. This shift is largely the product of on-demand technology — same-day delivery platforms, instant streaming, and real-time news feeds have reset what people consider normal waiting time. Whether this development is positive or negative depends on the context: for productivity and access to essential services, it is largely beneficial, but for personal finances and mental wellbeing, it carries real risks.

In professional and public life, the ability to receive things instantly has delivered clear advantages. Businesses can now respond to customer needs in real time, reducing friction in commerce and accelerating economic activity. In healthcare, for example, digital platforms allow patients to consult doctors remotely and receive prescriptions within minutes, a development that has been particularly valuable in rural areas where physical access to clinics is limited. Similarly, access to instant news and information allows citizens, researchers, and policymakers to make faster and better-informed decisions. In these contexts, the expectation of immediacy is not a form of impatience — it reflects a rational demand for efficiency that modern infrastructure can now reliably meet.

For individual consumers, however, the same expectation can become destructive. When people expect to have everything immediately, they are more likely to make impulsive financial decisions — buying on credit, subscribing to multiple services, or replacing products before they need replacing. Research into consumer psychology consistently links a preference for instant reward with lower savings rates and higher personal debt. Beyond money, the constant availability of stimulation — instant entertainment, instant social feedback — is associated with reduced attention spans and increased anxiety when things do not arrive immediately. Young people who have grown up with on-demand everything often find sustained effort, such as long-term study or saving for a goal, genuinely difficult. In this sense, the culture of immediacy can erode habits of patience and discipline that are essential for long-term wellbeing.

Overall, instant access is a tool, and its value depends on how and where it is applied. In public services, healthcare, and professional life, the demand for immediacy drives genuine progress. Among individual consumers, particularly younger generations shaped entirely by on-demand culture, it risks producing financial instability and psychological fragility. The critical question is not whether speed is good or bad, but whether people retain the discipline to choose when immediacy is appropriate and when patience is the wiser option.