Do inventions make life easier or more difficult?
In addition to cell phones, the Lemelson-MIT invention index also looked at the impact of popular inventions such as email, voicemail and credit and debit cards. Teenagers overwhelmingly believed email (81perecnt) and voicemail (71percent) make life simpler while adults agreed to a lesser extent. Roughly three out of five said email (59percent) and voicemail (58percent) have made life easier. Interestingly, teenagers showed mixed reactions about credit and debit cards. Only 32 percent said they make life easier, while 26 percent said they make life more difficult and 39 percent felt they make life both simpler and more difficult. Half of the adults surveyed said the benefits of credit and debit cards outweigh any disadvantages. The Lemelson-MIT Program, founded in 1994 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Jerome H. Lemelson, one of the world’s most prolific inventors, provides the resources and inspiration to make invention and innovation more accessible to today’s youth. It
