Planet Of The Apps

Superhuman or spoilt brat? With apps bringing the world to our fingertips, we’re able to track, rate and demand anything our heart desires. But is instant gratification turning us into obnoxious assholes? Here’s what happens when Meg Mason switches to life on demand

- Meg Mason

Remember the first thing you bought on the internet? Mine was a paperback copy of Slouching Towards Bethlehem from a new website called “Amazon”. It was 1999 and it only took 25 minutes to connect the modem, sign up with my Hotmail account, work out where to put in my address and credit-card details, and then a mere two weeks later, there was Didion on my doorstep! Well, technically, there was a card telling me to pick it up at the post office because I’d missed the delivery and would have to go get it, passing three bookshops on the way. But still! What a time to be alive.

Now it’s 2017 and what kind of bullshit is that? Two weeks! I could write a book myself in that time. I want it now, and don’t we all? After the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 and the App Store in 2008, there’s been a proliferation of retail and service apps and, it would seem, a rapid decrease in the amount of time and inconvenience we’re willing to put up with when it comes to ordering our sushi, booking a barre class, stocking up on that salon-only shampoo and finding an apartment. And a boyfriend. And cheap flights to Bali.