Sam has worked as a writer and editor with top publications in the Philippines and around Asia for the past 10 years. She also helps brands craft narratives and connect with audiences as a communications consultant. When not writing, she’s looking for the next hole-in-the-wall, digging through secondhand record crates, or parenting her dog.

Speed and convenience have become the consumer norm. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, when people worldwide were introduced to instant access to goods and services via apps and digital platforms, the supply and demand considerably grew and splintered. The 'I need it now' culture shows no signs of slowing down, yet the complexity around it is becoming more apparent.

Hyper-fast digital services appeal because they fulfil a ballooning desire for instant gratification – contemporary convenience hinges on easy-to-use interfaces that help consumers seamlessly meet their needs. However, the mechanics of consumerism are complex. People are becoming aware of global supply chains, especially in the wake of wars and escalating global conflict. As many brands are cracking down on immediacy (introducing higher delivery fees or offering it as a premium), people are turning to local and smaller-scale shopping for more mindful, slower, grounded spending.

The cost of living crisis makes people reconsider which of their needs are truly immediate, but it's not the only reason some crave a slowdown. The hyper-fast society enables our desires to be fulfilled instantly but might be too fast for our mental health. While convenience used to be a cool thing to have, now it has become essential to function in the current attention economy. People are tormented by a lack of patience and chronic dependency on stimulation from platforms like TikTok – yet the rewards of convenience easily outweigh the concerns.

Compulsive Convenience

Finance academic at RMIT University, Dr Angel Zhong specialises in empirical asset pricing, digital finance, global financial markets, investor behaviour, and recent trends in retail investing. In 2021 she received the RMIT Award for Research Excellence, Early Career Researcher (Enterprise), and in 2022 the College of Business and Law Research Excellence Award. She is also an editorial board member of two prestigious field journals (

Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money

). Her commitment to translating her research to improve financial literacy and wellbeing among Australians has seen her recognised as the finalist of the Women in Finance Awards 2021 in Australia, in the category of ‘Thought leader of the year’.

Australia

Money

Technology

Banking and payments

Accountants Daily

Campaign Brief

Finder

PR Newswire

Weel

NAB News

Information Age

LinkedIn

IAB Australia

IT Brief Australia

Stripe

Interview with Angel Zhong conducted by the author

ABC News

Clyde & Co

The Guardian

CFO Tech

OAIC

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