Novelty can be scary. Or, she can sometimes look very stupid. This is often what happens when new inventions come into our lives. Not used to it, we tend to find them absurd and to say to ourselves: “Me alive, I will never use this thing”. And then finally, over time, you get used to it and you end up doing like everyone else. Are we dumb? But no not at all. Well, maybe a little sometimes, but that’s okay.
1. AirPods
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When Apple released its wireless earbuds in 2016, we wondered what kind of sucker might want to own wireless earbuds that they might snag at any moment. In addition, aesthetically speaking, we found it not good jojo. Well that doesn’t stop us today from being millions to have AirPods (or their equivalents) and we no longer regret at all those hours wasted untangling the knots of headphone wires.
2. Phones with cameras
Remember when smartphones began to outdo each other with bigger and bigger photo sensors and more and more advanced lenses. Not a day goes by that we don’t hear someone say: “And then what are the phones going to do? Are they going to make coffee? » Well no, they still don’t make coffee, but we’re very happy to no longer have to carry around big SLR cameras when we go on vacation.
3. E-books
“Oh no, sorry, I really like the book as an object, the feel of the paper, its smell…” We’ve all heard that one. That doesn’t mean it’s false, but many of those who had this speech ended up falling for an ebook when they saw that it still took up a hell of a lot less space in the pocket than the entire Pléiade collection.
4. Dating apps
When Tinder arrived, we all had a bad image of dating apps. For us, it was either for old people or for weird people. And those who had an account didn’t even dare to talk about it to those around them for fear of being judged. Today we’ve all gone through the apps at least once and it’s become totally normal to take out your phone in the evening to show our friends the people we’ve matched with. At the same time, there’s nothing ridiculous about wanting to meet people.
5. Large electronic cigarettes
Going from a very fine cigarette to a big cobblestone that barely fits in your pocket, for many it seemed completely stupid. However, in terms of autonomy and power, to reproduce the feeling of smoking a cigarette, you still need a fairly large machine. As a result, a lot of people succumbed to good big electronic cigarettes, and it doesn’t shock many people anymore. And then it can always be used to knock out an attacker in the street.
6. Pay to watch movies and series
No kidding, when Netflix landed with its platform, we were more than skeptical: why pay a monthly subscription to watch videos that can be downloaded for free on the internet? Yes, but now, the streaming platforms are so well done that we are ready to drop money for more comfort. In addition, it avoids crashing while downloading Narcos in Japanese version with Aramaic subtitles.
7. Contactless on bank cards
The beginnings of contactless were accompanied by this existential questioning: “And if they steal my card, they can steal all my money then?” » Experience has finally shown us not, or that the banks quickly reimburse the lost money which, in any case, never exceeds a certain level. And then it’s still really practical, especially not to touch the disgusting keys of the payment terminals. Yes, these keys are disgusting.
8. Cell phones without a keyboard
The first touchscreens were still a lot of crap, so we couldn’t imagine one day abandoning our good old physical keyboards to switch to all touchscreen. But the technology is great and has turned those rotten screens into hyper-sensitive touchscreen keyboards that allow us to type messages even faster than in the days of the T9. Who would go back to old keyboards today? Eh ? Who ?
9. An Instagram account
“But what is the point of a site to post photos when you can already put them on Facebook? » That’s what we said to ourselves around 2011. In 2020, the only people who still put their photos on Facebook are aliens.
10. Voice assistants
Alright, here it’s a little less obvious because we’re still quite a lot to find it a bit stupid. A voice assistant, like Google Home or Alexa, you can still easily do without. Still, the trick has found its audience and asking Google to turn off your lights without moving from your sofa, it has a pretty stylish side. But the style has its limits and today voice assistants are still a bit old-fashioned inventions.