Convenience

For other uses, seeConvenience Township, Pope County, ArkansasandConvenience (horse).

Japan Post Mailbox conveniently located inside a shopping mall

Home appliancessuch as this Follows & Bate Ltd 'Rapid Marmalade Cutter' increase the convenience of home food preparation

Convenientprocedures, products and services are those intended to increase ease inaccessibility,saveresources(such astime,effortandenergy) and decreasefrustration.Amodern convenienceis alabor-saving device, service or substance which make a task easier or moreefficientthan a traditional method. Convenience is a relative concept, and depends on context. For example,automobileswere once considered a convenience, yet today are regarded as a normal part of life.

Because differences inlifestylesaround the world, the term is a relative term based upon the conveniences previously available to a person or group. For instance, an American definition of 'modern convenience' is likely different from that of an individual living in adeveloping country.Most of the time, the term 'modern convenience' is used to express personal lifestyle and home life.

Examples

Service conveniencesare those that save shoppers time or effort, and includes variables such ascreditavailability and extended store hours.Service convenience pertains to the facilitation of selling both goods and services, and combinations of the two.

Convenience goodsare widely distributed products that "require minimal time and physical and mental effort to purchase."

Ready mealsandconvenience cookingspare the consumer effort in preparation of amealwhile providing high levels of energy and pronounced, if mostly artificial,flavour.

Filling stationssell items that have nothing to do with refuelling a motor vehicle, (e.g. milk, newspapers, cigarettes) but purchasing at that location can save the consumer time compared to making a separate journey to asupermarket.Conveniences such asdirect depositcan save companies andconsumersmoney, though this may or may not be passed along to the consumer.

Some conveniences can become nuisances when they break down or don't function correctly. It coststimeandmoneyto fix items of convenience when they break down, and may cause much greater costs if something else that depends on them cannot take place.

History

Late 20th century

Household In 1911, architect and author Louis. H. Gibson defined modern conveniences as "those arrangements and appliances which make it possible for people to livecomfortably in a larger house, without seriously increasing the cares which they had in a smaller one ". The supposition is that at that time if a family lived in a smaller home, they would have less furniture, appliances and other goods to take care of, and as a result the family's lifestyle andhousekeepingwould be relatively easy. If, on the other hand, a family moved into a larger home the increase area and furnishings would be much more difficult to manage without labor-saving devices.

Examples of modern conveniences at that time included:

• Kitchen sinks withtap water hot and cold running waterandwastewaterdrainage
• The addition ofbathroomsas separate rooms with sinks and toilets, also with waste water andsewagedrainage
• Afurnace,also identified as a significant cost savings
• Closetsin bedrooms, bathrooms, hallway for linen, broom closets
• Gas lighting,stovesand fireplaces, where gas was available
• Iceboxorrefrigerator

20th century

The homes of the 20th century are much bigger than the homes of our family members from the 19th century, both in terms ofsquare footageand number of rooms. Homes built at the beginning of the 21st century have 2–3 times more rooms than homes at the turn of the 20th century. In terms of square footage, new homes built in 2000 are 50% larger than a home built in the 1960s.

The 20th century also enjoyed a proliferation ofhome applianceslikewashing machines,dryers,dishwashers,microwave ovens,frost-freerefrigerators,water heaters,air conditioning,vacuum cleaners,andirons.Electricity and innovative electronics products includingstereoequipment,color television,answering machine,andvideo cassette recordersalso facilitated modern life.

21st century

Comparison of modern conveniences in new housing construction

In his 2011 bookAmerica's Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb: How the Looming Debt Crisis Threatens the American Dream—and How We Can Turn the Tide Before It's Too Late,Peter Ferrarasays that the residential access to modern convenience is markedly different in the 21st century compared to the beginning of the 20th century:

Modern conveniences	1900	1950	2011
Electricity	< 2%	Not stated	Not stated
Running water Flush toilets Vacuum cleaner Gas or electric heat	< 20%	Unknown	80–100%
Dishwasher Microwave oven Air conditioner	None	< 20%	80–100%
Central air conditioning Decks and Patios Swimming pools Ceiling fans	Extremely rare	Extremely rare	Prevalent

Upcoming technological advancements David Kirkpatrick,author ofThe Facebook Effect(2010), wrote in an article calledTech Targets the Third Worldprojects that technological advancements ineducationandhealth care,mobile computingandbroadbandwill empower the poor and provide economic opportunities that they would not otherwise have access. These technologies are relatively easy and cost-effective to implement because of technological advancements that have driven down the costs and because developing countries do not have expensive and outdatedlegacy systemsto manageemerging technology.

Religious groups

Religious groups that shun modern conveniences include Anabaptists (and their direct descendants, theAmish,Hutterites,andMennonites) andJudaism.

Anabaptists

Key beliefs that determine anAnabaptistcommunity's position on use of modern conveniences are:

• The belief that in order to enter theKingdom of God,they must live apart from the "world",or the unreformed.
• Avoiding "worldly"behaviors that pull their attention and intentions away from theirreligious community.

Religion	General position	Electricity	Comments on modern conveniences
Amish	Generally, theAmishavoid use of modern conveniences to limit their contact with the outside world.In recent years, there has been greater openness to strategically select certain modern conveniences to support their businesses, while keeping the spirit of the separateness. PerDonald KraybillandSteven Nolt:"If it enhances the welfare of the community, new technology is welcomed. Only when it peels awaycommunity cohesiondoes technology face the frown of the church. "	Generally,Amish avoid electricity lines coming directly in their homes, but they may usebattery,generators,orpneumatic or hydraulic power,such as formachineryand tools.	In most cases the Amish do not have cars, telephone lines coming into their home, or farm equipment that they would ride, all of which increase contact with the outside world or be significant advantages from worldly capabilities. There are exceptions, such as use ofvoicemailandmobile phonesfor people who own businesses or are in a progressive order, with guidance provided by their church.
Mennonite	There is wide disparity among theMennonite,from those most Progressive to the strictest Old Order about the use of modern conveniences. For instance, some Progressive Mennonites live in cities and enjoy many of the modern conveniences of their non-Mennonite neighbors. Each Mennonite community determines its right path, but always with the ideal of living "simply and humbly".	See general comment and Old Order information.	See general comment and Old Order information.
Old order Anabaptists:Hutterites,Mennonites,AmishandBrethren	Although there are some modern conveniences that Old Order members enjoy, they are the most reluctant of theAnabaptiststo accept the use of technology, especially direct use. For many of them it is a slippery slope that leads to eternal damnation.	Use of telephone service and electricity lines brought into the home are generally discouraged, decisions are made by the individual religious communities. Like the Amish, they explore creative use of energy, like batteries, generators, etc.	It is difficult to provide one conclusion for four Old Order religions: Each religious community determines the use of modern conveniences based upon their specific circumstances.

Orthodox and Conservative Judaism

ForOrthodoxandConservative Jews,Shabbatis theseventh dayof the Jewishweekand is a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night.On Shabbat, Jews recall theGenesis creation narrativedescribing God creating the Heavens and the Earth in six days and resting on the seventh. It also recalls the giving of theTorahatMount Sinai,when God commanded the Israelite nation to observe the seventh day and keep it holy. Shabbat is considered a festive day, when a Jew is freed from the regular labors of everyday life, can contemplate the spiritual aspects of life, and can spend time with family.

Orthodox and some Conservative authorities rule that there are 39prohibited activitiesof work (referred to as "melakhot"), such as turningelectricdevices on or off, driving cars, and more, during the Shabbat, as listed inMishnahTractate Shabbat.

Consequences

There are many ramifications of the development of modern conveniences for individuals and their families over the past 150 or more years. The many labor-saving devices have kept pace with growing houses and furnishings and allow for greaterleisure.There are also some negative effects, some of which are also as the result of advancements inchemical technologyin the food that we eat or products that we use. In these cases there are also conflicting opinions about the extent to which some of the products are harmful. Here are a few examples of positive and negative effects of modern conveniences.

Positive effects

Health care

Some of the major improvements over the past century has been in improvedhealth care.For example,modern medicinehas made leaps in preventinginfectious diseasesin part due to improvedwaterandsewage treatment.This is obvious in the marked rises inlife expectancy.

Technological advancement in underdeveloped countries

Some of the most dramatic technological benefits are seen in underdeveloped countries. For instance, cabling forlandline telephoneservice is expensive and requires a lot of time to complete, especially in the most remote areas. Introduction ofcellphoneservice, on the other hand, is much cheaper and dramatically improves individual's ability to be economically productive, often inmicrobusinesses.It is estimated that 80% of the world's population is now located within range of cellular towers, 1.5 billion cellular phones are in use in developing countries and, in India alone, five million customers sign up for cellular service each week. TheFour Asian Tigers—i.e.,Hong Kong,Singapore,Taiwan,andSouth Korea—are a few of the countries that have leveraged technology to become a presence in the global community.

Another example, led byNicholas NegroponteofMIT'sMedia Labin rural Asia, Latin America and Africa, provides $100 laptop computers to underdeveloped countries.

Negative effects

In 1905, theJournal of the American Medical Associationpublished an article titled "Nervous Strain" about how "modern conveniences" make our lives busier and with less direct contact than the preceding generations. As an example, the author compared having a calming cup of tea with a person to the more distant practice of placing a telephone call. Labor-saving devices meant that people now spent more timesitting,breathed machine-generatedsmoke,and ate food, especially meat, fat and sugars, in greater abundance, changing peoples' diets. These activities were speculated to result inhigh blood pressure,obesity,and "nervous strain".

Meat consumption

See also:Meat consumption,Beef hormone controversy,andPink slime

Because of the enormous productivity growth inintensive agricultureandmeat industry,meat has become a major part of the diet in most developed countries and is on the rise in developing countries.Red meatconsumption has been linked tocolon cancer;besides,growth hormoneandantibioticstreatment of cattle and poultry has raised serious concerns about the adverse effects of those substances in industrially produced meat.

Processed food and food preparation

Processed foods,high-fructose corn syrup,and increased fat—the greater reliance on processed, packaged, microwaveable food has resulted in a rise inType 2 diabetes,obesity,and other health concerns.Margarine,once seen as a great alternative to butter, does not help with absorption ofnutrientsand may contribute toheart disease.

Other

Styrofoamcups releasestyreneas the food or drink is consumed.Leaded fuelis another hazardous chemical. Although it has been outlawed in the United States, its use in developing countries impacts the health of local people and the global environment.

See also

• Amish life in the modern world
• Appropriate technology
• Canadians of convenience
• Consumerism
• Convenience function (computing)
• Convenience store
  • Convenience store crime
• Convenience translation (finance)
• Critique of technology
• Flag of convenience
  • Flag of convenience (business)
• Gamaekjip
• List of convenience stores
• Marriage of convenience
• Modern technology
• Public convenience– term for a public toilet
• Social construction of technology
• Technology
• Technology and society

Further reading

• Carlin, Dale. (2002)Acid-Base Balancing: Magic Bullet Against Aging.Lincoln, NE: iUniverse.ISBN0-595-26018-7.
• Price, DDS, Weston A. (2008) [1939].Nutritional and Physical Degeneration.ISBN0-916764-20-6&ISBN978-0-916764-20-3.
• United States. Dept. of Agriculture. Office of the Secretary. Information Office (1915).Reports: Needs of farm women, Issues 103-106.Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
• Tierney, Thomas F. (1993).The Value of Convenience: A Genealogy of Technical Culture.SUNY Press.ISBN9780791412442.RetrievedJune 10,2012.ISBN079141244X
• Shove, Elizabeth (2003).Comfort, Cleanliness and Convenience: The Social Organization of Normality.Berg.ISBN9781859736302.RetrievedJune 10,2012.ISBN1859736300
• Holton, Richard H. (July 1958). "The Distinction between Convenience Goods, Shopping Goods, and Specialty Goods".Journal of Marketing.23(1): 53–56.doi:10.1177/002224295802300108.JSTOR1248017.S2CID167598207.
• Bhatnagar, Amit; et al. (November 2000)."On risk, convenience, and Internet shopping behavior".Communications of the ACM.43(11): 98–105.doi:10.1145/353360.353371.S2CID3353002.
• Glanz, Karen; et al. (October 1998)."Why Americans Eat What They Do: Taste, Nutrition, Cost, Convenience, and Weight Control Concerns as Influences on Food Consumption".Journal of the American Dietetic Association.98(10): 1118–1126.doi:10.1016/S0002-8223(98)00260-0.PMID9787717.RetrievedJune 10,2012.
• Morse, Dan. "Still Called by Faith to the Booth: As Pay Phones Vanish, Amish and Mennonites Build Their Own", The Washington Post, September 3, 2006, p. C1.
• Zimmerman Umble, Diane. Work on the subject of the Amish and telephones.