The blind chase of efficiency is destroying humanity
Striving to better yourself is great, but when efficiency and productivity become the only goals, community gets left behind.
Stories of people rising from rags to riches reinforce the idea that speed and productivity are life’s greatest values. I argue that instead, efficiency has created a new problem: isolation.
While seeking self-improvement is admirable, the overemphasis on efficiency and productivity has led to people overlooking the necessity of community. This culture that celebrates shortcuts in the name of maximizing productivity has fostered self-reliance at the expense of human connection.
Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone concluded that, increasingly over time, people would rather do activities alone than interact as a group. For example, instead of sitting with a problem and discussing it with someone else, many would escape the problem and avoid communication by seeking instant gratification provided by technology.
Technology has no doubt accelerated isolation. Television, mobile phones, and now generative AI can seemingly provide all the solutions and entertainment needed from the comfort of people’s homes. This “convenience” further reduces people’s incentive to communicate with others.
Time, too, is treated as a commodity too precious to be “wasted” on the complicated work of nurturing relationships or attending community gatherings. As Putnam notes in Bowling Alone, organizations once central to community-building continue to see declines in membership.
Also, rising living expenses push people to maximize income. Compared with so-called “less productive” activities like volunteering, many prefer to spend their time on pursuits that generate profit.
What is often overlooked is that sincere dialogue and sustained efforts to build human connections foster trust and belonging. Without these elements, society risks falling apart, leaving people unhappy and isolated.
Efficiency is not inherently bad. It can produce a quick turnaround on tasks and inspires us to be innovative. But it comes with a great cost when efficiency becomes our only priority. In efficiency, everything is measured in terms of speed and output; here the “slower” aspects of life, such as undistracted conversations that shape our sense of belonging, are lost.
It is crucial to recognize and transform this situation, especially in the age of generative AI. AI lacks the critical thinking skills and empathy needed to understand human needs. Overreliance on these technologies in the name of efficiency can be devastating. For example, according to The Guardian, character.ai, a chatbot designed to simulate human personalities, has allegedly led a 14-year-old to take his own life.
This case illustrates the danger of mistaking artificial interaction for a genuine human connection. When young people, already vulnerable to feelings of isolation, turn to AI for companionship or support, they may receive responses that lack empathy, context, and responsibility. The illusion of efficiency (having an always-available “friend” who never tires or judges) can mask the absence of true care, guidance, and accountability. Such reliance on technology highlights how efficiency-driven solutions often neglect the complexities of emotional well-being, with devastating consequences.
To prevent such tragedies, community, care, and intentionality are essential. Taking time to be intentionally “inefficient” ensures that people do not rely on technology for the support that only humans can provide. AI cannot grasp human value and emotion, whereas we can.
As members of this generation, it is our responsibility to slow down, check in with those around us, offer help, and ask for help when needed. Otherwise, we risk losing our humanity to an empty, efficiency-obsessed society that drifts ever further from true happiness.
