If you were asked to name the greatest inventions of all time, a few might come to mind.
Things like light, moving pictures, airplanes, Pop-Tarts... But as for the ones humans could do without?
Well, it turns out there are quite a few. This conversation came about when Redditor u/idc_aboutusernames asked the internet, "What invention has done more harm than good?"
Here are the top answers!
These are fine when you keep them simple i.e. popping a balloon with pink or blue confetti.
But gender reveal parties can go very wrong (and even result in death) when people use things like fireworks and other explosive devices.
"It’s basically just a prop for interrogations— the person believing it works is what makes it work. Otherwise it’s pointless and to say someone 'failed a polygraph' is completely meaningless." - u/alexrt87
"I honestly do not understand why people are fans of these shows and enjoy going. I feel bad for the children who are forced to participate because a lot of the times, the mothers make them wear inappropriate clothing." -u/Oro-Lavanda
Not going to lie, the second I see that a site asks me to disable AdBlock, I'm going to another site.
The sites that let you "continue without supporting this time" are EVERYTHING.
"It destroys the habitant of fish just so we can squeeze every bit of a fish from an area..." this Redditor wrote. This is seriously harming the sea environment, which makes us really sad.
"Tens of millions of sharks are killed every year for their fins that offer little nutritional value and serve no purpose outside of being a status symbol" - u/flying-monke. This needs to stop.
"[Expletive] me, your average joe, making drug recommendations TO MY DOCTOR - who spent 10+ years studying and working to be in the position." - u/denikar. Also, most of those drugs advertise a risk of death.
In addition to being extremely addictive, this Redditor finds that it promotes terrible behavior, like trolling random strangers on the internet.
It also actively reduces our capacity to have real-life human connections.
"Doing things for 'internet clout' is one of the worst things to happen to humanity. Some 'influencers' will do awful and disgusting things just to gain a few likes." - u/Zut-Alors20. This includes promoting brands they don't even use.
"They're too [expletive] bright and now they're putting mini screens on trucks that drive around town and it pisses me off. There's already enough distraction on the road. I miss the billboards that had the rotating panels. Those were cool." -u/Ackermance
As convenient as they are, they are expensive and don't make the best coffee.
This Redditor also pointed out that they are littering the planet with ridiculous amounts of waste. Even the creator regrets inventing them.
Hello, Peleton! You have to spend around $3,000 on the bike and then shell out money for a subscription each month. Just doesn't make sense.
"Just let your skin be skin and don’t lock your body in a heat box nightmare. People out here roasting themselves like a chicken." -u/blankcanvascartwheel. This also drastically increases your risk of skin cancer.
"To navigate through all their hoops, especially when it's a voice response system, and only find that you landed in the wrong section and have to do the whole thing over, is extremely frustrating." - u/supremekimilsung
"For all the good they do, there is enough bad to outweigh it. And they are just a nuisance, everybody’s faces are buried in the [expletive] things when they drive while I’m having a god damn aneurysm just trying to commute." -u/c_bizkit15
"It’s the most evilest thing ever and the most inconvenient thing when you need to quickly look something up. The person who pitched this is a menace to society." - u/Work-Alone
"Literally: let's get people addicted to gambling via gamification and then see how much money we can steal from them." - u/throwaway12222018.
The thrill isn't worth the money spent or the risk of gambling.
"How come we still don't have a more efficient way to manage our browsing privacy?" this Redditor asked.
Another pointed out how these teach users to click on any pop-up they see, which could make them prone to malware.
"I'll tell you why: They render large tracts of land completely unusable. They are expensive and difficult to remove safely because there is seldom documentation of where they are placed. They are cheap, plentiful, easy to place, and deadly. They kill/maim livestock and wild animals." -u/RichardDune91
