Smart Lights Were Supposed to Help

A split-scene cartoon compares turning on a lamp with a simple wall switch in 1975 to the complicated app setup process required by a smart lamp in 2025.

There was a time when turning on a lamp required exactly one step: flipping a switch. Now the same light wants an app, a password, a software update, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an account verification email, and enough patience to qualify as technical support. Progress has been busy.

Modern smart homes are filled with AI, apps, automation, connected devices, and endless software updates that promise convenience but often create new obstacles. Somewhere along the way, a light bulb became a technology project. If you've ever spent more time connecting a smart device than actually using it, you'll appreciate this cartoon (see https://www.chadgeepeety.com/cartoons/smart-appliances-mind-own-business).

The future wasn't supposed to replace simple with complicated. It was supposed to save us time. Instead, every update seems to add another checkbox, another login, and another reason to wonder why the old way worked so well. For another classic Chad take on modern technology, see https://www.chadgeepeety.com/cartoons/turn-it-off-and-on-again.

Sometimes the smartest feature is the one that doesn't need Wi-Fi.

Explore more Chad Geepeety™ cartoons about AI, tech, and the everyday problems that upgrades somehow make worse.