What impact did new inventions such as the ice box, electric lights, and the phonograph have on the lives of the growing middle class in the late 1800s? People became frustrated, as the expense of these inventions put them out of reach of most consumers. People rejected these inventions, preferring to do things as they had been done in the past. People feared these inventions, believing that ice and electricity did not belong in a home and that music was evil. People found life more convenient, as these inventions gave them more opportunities and freedoms.