The modern world has brought with it a world of advantages, with convenience and speed key to every new invention. Sadly, this is rapidly making many existing things useless in America, just like the following 17 examples that won’t be around much longer.
Cash
As contactless payments become the norm, cash is slowly losing its standing in society. While cash was once king, it has now been relegated further down the pecking order, with debit and credit cards, mobile phones, and online bank transactions all more popular.
Keys
Home security is quickly advancing to the point where keys are becoming unnecessary. Fingerprint scanners, facial recognition systems, and keypads will soon become the most trusted methods of entering buildings and securing them upon exit. One less thing in your pocket is one less thing to worry about.
Plastic Bags
The rise in environmental awareness in the 2010s saw a shift in attitudes towards everyday items such as non-degradable plastic bags. A report from the Public Interest Network suggests that the usage of single-use plastic bags has dropped by billions, a figure that will only increase over time.
Parking Meters
Number plate recognition is already in place in many inner-city parking lots across the USA, serving automatic parking charges to drivers’ bank accounts. This will soon signal the end of the parking meter and put a whole hoard of parking attendants out of a job.
Charging Cables
You may already own a wireless charging pad that charges your phone without needing to plug anything in. As the major smartphone brands look to reduce the number of sockets on their products, the charging wire is likely to be the next accessory to be axed.
Traditional Television
Before the arrival of the internet, it would have been inconceivable to believe that TVs would eventually be replaced as the people’s favored way to consume media. However, the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix seems to spell the end for traditional TV viewing.
Remote Controls
Just like TVs, remote controls are on their way out. Smart speakers have been taking over houses across the USA since they were first introduced, completing tasks for people without the need for a remote control. Jumpstart reports that a whopping 63.43 million homes in the US already have smart technology installed!
Hard Drives
Big, clunky hard drives will soon be on their way out, along with the rest of the oversized computer components of the 1990s and 2000s. Over the last decade, cloud storage has become the preferred method of saving large documents, allowing people to keep their files safe without relying on physical hardware.
Bank Branches
As the world moved online, banks followed, devoting a substantial chunk of their resources to providing a secure digital service. This has led to the closure of many brick-and-mortar banks in cities across the USA, and any remaining branches will one day be a thing of the past.
Physical Media
The desire for physical media has faded substantially since the 2000s, with people going online for their entertainment instead. DVDs have been replaced by on-demand streaming sites, CDs by music streaming platforms such as Spotify, and books by their electronic counterparts such as Kindles. It’s sad, but there’s no going back now!
Manual Cars
Manual transmission cars have been in decline in the USA since the turn of the millennium, with only 18% of American motorists being able to drive a stick shift car, according to the New York Times. It’s even possible that we’re moving toward a world where cars don’t require a driver!
Pay Phones
Ever since mobile phones became reasonably sized and easily accessible, pay phones have been sitting, gathering dust in city centers, and are derelict and unused. It won’t be long before cities across the USA begin dismantling and removing these relics of the distant past altogether.
Calculators
Unless you’re a mathematician, you’ll probably struggle to remember the last time you used a physical calculator to complete a sum. With every smartphone containing a free calculator app, as well as most everyday sums being automatically calculated for you, the days of the calculator are all but over.
Paper Contracts
Soon enough, there will be no need to sign above the dotted line with an ink pen, as contracts have already begun their transition into the digital space. This will result in less paper waste and fewer lost documents but a frustrating increase in clumsily written touch-screen signatures.
Pens and Paper
From shopping lists to college exams, everything that was once written down by pen on paper is becoming digital, quickly removing the demand for physical writing tools. Environmental awareness also suggests that paper manufacturing is also likely to affect the paper industry.
Shopping Malls
Online shopping is taking hold in the USA, with almost a quarter of retail purchases set to be made online by 2027, according to Forbes. This could mark the end of an era for shopping malls as physical stores begin to close their doors for good.
Greetings Cards
Last but not least, greeting cards will soon be no more. Sadly, younger generations are steering away from buying physical cards, instead sending loved ones their well wishes via texts. It’s unlikely that card companies will experience an upturn in their fortunes unless they find a way to digitize their products.
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