A few weeks ago, I wrote about social media anxiety and our need for instant gratification. Recently, I've downloaded Chicago's TransitStop app from the CTA, giving up-to-the-minute updates on when the next train or bus will arrive at your destination. Growing up in the age of constant, accessible information - we have grown to accept and expect these apps to be present, which I've learned is both a blessing and a curse. It's great to know when the next train is coming, but also upsetting to know if it will be a longer wait than was anticipated.
Recently while headed back home, I was about three stops away from Howard- the station where I transfer to the Purple Line closest to the north suburbs. Out of curiosity, I checked when the next purple line train would arrive, hoping it would be a seamless transfer.
Needless to say, my heart started beating faster when I saw that not only was the train arriving in a minute, but the next one wasn't for 14 minutes. Parts of me felt like it was a race and the train had to make it in time for my transfer, and I actually started to get eager and anxious.
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| The TransitStop app while waiting for the Purple Line |
A different part of me thought, "Would I really have known the wait time was 14 minutes if I just got outside and waited?" Probably not. We have plenty to entertain ourselves these days, with smartphones, reading material and music or audio books right in front of us - that it was going to move right along anyway.
With the vast amount of data and information available at our fingertips, we can't let information that was once inaccessible stress us out as much as it does.
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