thumb|Japan Post Mailbox conveniently located inside a shopping mall
thumb|[[Home appliances such as this Follows & Bate Ltd 'Rapid Marmalade Cutter' increase the convenience of home food preparation]]
Convenient procedures, products and services are those intended to increase ease in accessibility, save resources (such as time, effort and energy) and decrease frustration. A modern convenience is a labor-saving device, service or substance which make a task easier or more efficient than a traditional method. Convenience is a relative concept, and depends on context. For example, automobiles were once considered a convenience, yet today are regarded as a normal part of life.
Because differences in lifestyles around 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 a developing country. Most of the time, the term 'modern convenience' is used to express personal lifestyle and home life.
Examples
Service conveniences are those that save shoppers time or effort, and includes variables such as credit availability and extended store hours.
Examples of modern conveniences at that time included:
- Kitchen sinks with tap water hot and cold running water and wastewater drainage
- The addition of bathrooms as separate rooms with sinks and toilets, also with waste water and sewage drainage
- A furnace, also identified as a significant cost savings
- Closets in bedrooms, bathrooms, hallway for linen, broom closets
- Gas lighting, stoves and fireplaces, where gas was available
- Icebox or refrigerator
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 of square footage and 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 of home appliances like washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, microwave ovens, frost-free refrigerators, water heaters, air conditioning, vacuum cleaners, and irons. Electricity and innovative electronics products including stereo equipment, color television, answering machine, and video cassette recorders also facilitated modern life.
21st century
Comparison of modern conveniences in new housing construction
In his 2011 book America'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 Ferrara says that the residential access to modern convenience is markedly different in the 21st century compared to the beginning of the 20th century:
- The belief that in order to enter the Kingdom of God, they must live apart from the "world", or the unreformed.
- Avoiding "worldly" behaviors that pull their attention and intentions away from their religious community.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" width="100" | Religion
! scope="col" width="250" | General position
! scope="col" width="250" | Electricity
! scope="col" width="250" | Comments on modern conveniences
|- valign="top"
| Amish ||Generally, the Amish avoid 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. Per Donald Kraybill and Steven Nolt: "If it enhances the welfare of the community, new technology is welcomed. Only when it peels away community cohesion does technology face the frown of the church." || 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. On Shabbat, Jews recall the Genesis creation narrative describing God creating the Heavens and the Earth in six days and resting on the seventh. It also recalls the giving of the Torah at Mount 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 39 prohibited activities of work (referred to as "melakhot"), such as turning electric devices on or off, driving cars, and more, during the Shabbat, as listed in Mishnah Tractate 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 greater leisure. There are also some negative effects, some of which are also as the result of advancements in chemical technology in 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 improved health care. For example, modern medicine has made leaps in preventing infectious diseases in part due to improved water and sewage treatment. This is obvious in the marked rises in life expectancy.
Technological advancement in underdeveloped countries
Some of the most dramatic technological benefits are seen in underdeveloped countries. For instance, cabling for landline telephone service is expensive and requires a lot of time to complete, especially in the most remote areas. Introduction of cellphone service, on the other hand, is much cheaper and dramatically improves individual's ability to be economically productive, often in microbusinesses. 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. The Four Asian Tigers—i.e., Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea—are a few of the countries that have leveraged technology to become a presence in the global community.
:Another example, led by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT's Media Lab in rural Asia, Latin America and Africa, provides $100 laptop computers to underdeveloped countries.
Meat consumption
Because of the enormous productivity growth in intensive agriculture and meat industry, meat has become a major part of the diet in most developed countries and is on the rise in developing countries. Red meat consumption has been linked to colon cancer; besides, growth hormone and antibiotics treatment 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 in Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other health concerns. Margarine, once seen as a great alternative to butter, does not help with absorption of nutrients and may contribute to heart disease.
Other
:Styrofoam cups release styrene as the food or drink is consumed. Leaded fuel is 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.