We live in a time where we don't have to wait for much.
We pull around a building and a meal is ready for us. When we want to know that capital of Djibouti, we look it up on phones or computers. We need to get to work, we drive (granted this might take a while, but it's definitely faster than walking). With current internet speeds, our favorite sites load in the blink of an eye, and most have internet speeds one-tenth that of what Google Fiber would provide.
Now, all of this is fine and dandy, except what I fear it'll bring: an even more significant lack of patience.
If we can already load a web page in the blink of an eye, how conditioned to speed would we become if that changes to crossing of a synapse? If we are to get used to incredibly quick internet speeds, that expectation of quickness will spread to other facets of our lives, I fear. We'll grow inpatient and our already short attention spans will become even shorter.
To accommodate our societal ADD, other institutions will change to keep our attention. Like in Fahrenheit 451, I fear that novels will be condensed to short pamphlets. Poems will be non-existent because they require too much thought. Movies and music already lend themselves to those with short attention spans. Even the existence of every action movie and the majority of pop songs signifies that there's a market for media that does not require thought.
I fear where things are headed. I personally lack an expansive attention span, and I'm aware of the issue. How little patience do those who don't care possess? I suppose in the end none of it really matters. If people are happy not having to think and lacking patience, who am I to judge? I feel though that through patience, appreciation increases. As appreciation increases, so does respect and with respect comes a whole slew of positive possibilities.