Which was a more important innovation: indoor plumbing, jet air travel or mobile phones?

We’re in the golden age of innovation, an era in which digital technology is transforming the underpinnings of human existence. Or so a techno-optimist might argue.

We’re in a depressing era in which innovation has slowed and living standards are barely rising. That’s what some skeptical economists believe.

The truth is, this isn’t a debate that can be settled objectively. Which was a more important innovation: indoor plumbing, jet air travel or mobile phones? You could argue for any of them, and data can tell plenty of different stories depending on how you look at it. Productivity statistics or information on inflation-adjusted incomes is helpful, but can’t really tell you whether the advent of air-conditioning or the Internet did more to improve humanity’s quality of life. […]

(Source: Neil Irwin, at “The NY Times”. Retrieved at: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/upshot/what-was-the-greatest-era-foramerican-innovation-a-brief-guided-tour.html)