Why isn't technology fun anymore?

In 2000, I was working in London. I’d recently landed my dream job and I’d just got married.

It was just the two of us. No kids yet. Just time, London and some money to spend.

Music was a big part of my life back then. To be honest, it always has been.

By the year 2000, I had acquired over 500 CDs and they were taking up a reasonable part of our tiny London flat. So when I heard that a new music player was being launched that could store 40 albums’ worth of music, I had to have it. This (for me) was game changing.

There was no internet ordering back then. I had to go to an actual shop and see if it was in stock. It wasn’t.

I went back to that shop every day during my lunch break until it finally arrived.

It was called the Creative Nomad Jukebox and it was huge, heavy and ugly. But it could store 500 songs.

Wow.

No more making do with a 12 track CD or a single album (on two sides of a cassette).

I could leave the house with 40 albums in my pocket (well in my backpack - this thing was really big).

A year later the iPod came out and the world changed forever.

The Tech 'Golden Age'

That was only 24 years ago.

(If you’re reading this and you’re younger than 24 years old, then this will seem like a literal lifetime ago but for me, it seems like only yesterday).

It was a time when technology felt amazing. Almost every year, something groundbreaking was released:

3G data (2003)
Video calling (2004)
YouTube launched (2005)
Facebook launched (2006)
iPhone launched (2007)
iPad launched (2010)

Remember those times? When technology felt exciting?

When every new gadget felt like a step towards a better future.

Lately, I feel like we’ve hit a plateau—or worse, like we’re going backwards.

Sure, we have instant global communication, unlimited access to music, and the ability to summon a cold, overpriced burger to our doorstep with a tap on our phones.

But instead of advancing toward a utopian future, many innovations now seem focused on two things:

Creating new problems just so they can sell us the solution.
Trapping us in a never-ending cycle of subscriptions, updates, and planned obsolescence.

So, let’s talk about how we got here—and why so many people are desperately trying to turn back the clock.

The Subscription Nightmare

Once upon a time, streaming services felt like the holy grail of entertainment.

They instantly made my DVD and BluRay collection obsolete. I still have them of course but they're basically worthless.

I could watch them too but I’d have to get up off the sofa, try to re-connect the DVD/Blu-ray player, find the right cable, navigate a load of menus and then change disk every 4 episodes.

Netflix is so much better than this.

Or it was.

Until they kept upping their prices and took off all the shows you wanted to watch.

“Netflix is raising prices across all of its plans by up to £24 a year for both new and existing subscribers.” 7 Feb 2025

This then is the new technology cycle:

A new technology disrupts the industry, offering a cheaper, more convenient alternative.
It dominates, gaining monopoly levels of market share thus eliminating all competition.
Once it controls the market, prices skyrocket, quality declines, and suddenly, we’re worse off than before.

Netflix used to be a no-brainer. Now? Between price hikes and a shrinking catalogue, it’s become a headache.

It’s no wonder people are going back to physical media—Blu-rays, vinyl, even DVDs.

This is not just about nostalgia; it’s about control.

Owning something outright beats paying a premium for the privilege of temporary access.

We just don’t own anything anymore. We subscribe to it.

For music, it’s Spotify.

Movies? Netflix, Sky, Prime, Disney+, Paramount+, and whatever new thing pops up next.

Software? Adobe, Microsoft, Google—all shifting to monthly fees instead of one-time purchases.

Even physical products aren’t immune.

My doorbell charges me a monthly fee. My radiators are on subscription. Even my phone slows down over time, nudging me towards an upgrade I don’t need.

It’s no accident. Today’s tech business model isn’t about selling us great products—it’s about keeping us locked into a perpetual monthly payment cycle.

The Illusion of Progress

A big part of this frustration comes from the fact that technology just doesn’t feel fun anymore.

Remember when new iPhones were exciting? Now, each year’s model looks nearly identical, costs more, and offers tiny upgrades that feel like a stretch to call “innovations.”

Video game consoles used to jump in quality dramatically with each new generation. Now, the differences are so minor that you need a side-by-side comparison video to spot them.

It’s not that innovation has stopped—medicine, science, and space exploration are advancing all the time.

But consumer tech has largely shifted from solving problems to maximising profits.

Reclaiming Simplicity

So what’s the solution? How do we break free from a world where everything is a subscription, a hassle, or a downgrade in disguise?

It turns out, a lot of people are looking backwards.

Physical media is back. Sales of CDs and vinyl are growing. Even cassette tapes are making a comeback.

These are things that can’t suddenly disappear overnight. And if you’re a music fan, a big chunk of your money actually goes to the artist who made the music, rather than to Spotify’s billionaire owner.

“Dumb” phones are a thing. These are phones where the tech is so “old fashioned” they'd be right at home in 2005. No social media. No video playback. Just phone calls and texts. And maybe snake.

People are also ditching social media. Not everyone wants to be glued to a screen 24/7. Tired of the constant surveillance, advertising, and algorithmic control, many are opting out altogether.

This isn’t yet enough to force these companies to change their business models but I’m hopeful that it could be the start of something.

These 'trends' are a response to a system that has made convenience inconvenient and turned every product into a trap.

A Few Things Technology Did Get Right

It’s easy to get cynical about where tech is heading, but not everything is bad.

So I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the few things that have actually improved:

Broadband internet. Remember waiting hours for a movie to download? No? That’s because internet speeds have improved massively.
But it’s not just the speed, the availability has improved too. In 2005, half of the UK population had access to the internet. It’s now over 90%.
Wireless Everything: From headphones to chargers to game controllers, cutting the cord has made life way more convenient (when it works properly, at least).
Digital Payments: Mobile wallets, contactless payments, and instant transfers have made fumbling for cash or waiting for bank transactions a thing of the past.
Smart Fridges: For years I 've struggled to work out when I was running out of milk. Now, thanks to technology, my fridge can tell me when I need to go shopping again. Thank God for that.

Err and that’s about it. To be honest, I thought I’d have a longer list….

If more companies focused on providing a great experience instead of just trying to make more money out of us, technology could feel exciting again.

Until then, I’ll be dusting off my Blu-ray collection and regretting donating all those CDs to charity.

Until next time.

Jon "the techie" Kaye

P.S. Are you feeling the tech fatigue too? Or are there any innovations that genuinely excite you? Hit reply and let me know—I promise I won’t put your response behind a paywall 🤣