The Cost of Convenience: Ian Bogost on the ‘Dematerialization’ of the Modern World
Table of Contents
The Frictionless Trap
For decades, the north star of Silicon Valley has been the removal of friction. From one-click ordering to seamless app integrations and the rise of autonomous systems, the goal has been a world where the gap between desire and fulfillment is as close to zero as possible. But according to writer, designer, and academic Ian Bogost, this pursuit of total convenience has come at a hidden cost: the stripping away of the sensory texture of human existence.
In his forthcoming book, The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life, Bogost argues that we are living through a period of “dematerialization.” It is a process where the physical interactions that once defined our daily routines—the tactile click of a gear shift, the manual turn of a faucet, the physical effort of navigating a space—are replaced by automated, invisible systems. While these changes are often framed as progress, Bogost suggests they create a psychological distance between people and the environments they inhabit.
From Stick Shifts to Sensor-Driven Bathrooms
The catalyst for Bogost’s exploration was a 2022 piece he wrote for The Atlantic regarding the decline of the manual transmission. While car enthusiasts often mourn the stick shift as a lost art of driving, Bogost saw it as a symptom of a larger trend. With the industry-wide pivot toward electric vehicles (EVs), which lack traditional transmissions entirely, the manual experience isn’t just becoming rare—it’s becoming obsolete.
This loss of tactile engagement extends far beyond the driver’s seat. Bogost points to the modern airport restroom as a prime example of dematerialization. In these spaces, toilets flush automatically, sinks activate via sensors, and soap dispenses without a touch. On paper, this is a victory for hygiene and efficiency. In practice, it removes the user’s agency and sensory connection to the task.
“This thing that I used to do with my physical body and my senses, now I don’t do that anymore,” Bogost notes. He argues that we rarely notice these losses in real-time, describing it as a “frog boiling” scenario where the gradual erosion of material interaction goes unnoticed until the environment feels sterile and alien.
Beyond the Tech Critique
While the narrative of “big tech is ruining everything” has become a staple of modern cultural commentary, Bogost claims he is growing weary of the standard critique. He isn’t calling for a Luddite revolution or a total dismantling of capitalism to find peace. Instead, he focuses on the individual’s ability to reclaim gratification through the “small stuff.”
He acknowledges the genuine benefits of the modern era—the utility of Uber, the accessibility of streaming, and the efficiency of DoorDash. The issue, he argues, is not the existence of the technology itself, but the subconscious tradeoff we made. By prioritizing convenience above all else, we have undervalued the meaning found in ordinary, tactile life.
For Bogost, the solution isn’t found in grand societal shifts, but in a conscious effort to re-engage with the material world. By recognizing the value of sensory friction, individuals can find a sense of grounding that seamless software simply cannot provide.
