The people who consider technology a bane can rattle off the evils of its use. One cost that we have overlooked so far, though, is perhaps that which is most universally applicable. This is a cost that everyone cares about – money.
Whether or not our electronic devices are bringing on the downfall of humanity and changing our lives, take a second to think about how your bank account would be different if you didn't NEED these gadgets. That new laptop you needed for school? With a student deal, it only cost $500! That new WoW expansion you're clamoring for will cost $40 in addition to that monthly subscription. Even without games, the ever-intriguing Kinect will burn through $150 of your savings. Americans spend around 9% of their income on electronics and appliances, and we can expect our devices that keep us connected are responsible for a large portion of this cost. Let's face it, our devices are invariably expensive.
How do we rationalize these superfluous expenses? Technology constantly improves and advances, and what was cutting edge one week is old news the next. This decreases its cost and makes us feel better about buying it. When I was in high school, I wanted an iPhone (shocking, I know). When Christmas rolled around and my 2-year contract was up, my parents put my request into perspective. They told me that I could have an iPhone... OR I could have the money an iPhone would cost them in one year in cold, hard cash. I chose to stick with a basic phone, and save the money. In June, Apple changed the plan options from only a $30 a month option to two levels of data plans, with the lower costing $15. This helped my parents justify the cost, and this time when Christmas rolled around, I finally received my shiny new iPhone 4. I certainly appreciate the fact that it's cheaper in the long haul, and my parents felt like they weren't being ripped off. I cant help but wonder though, if the iPhone had been released with this pricing scheme, would they have been so keen on committing to a $15 a month plan?
This is all fine and well, but not everyone wants to wait four years to buy an affordable, outdated DS. We see everyone around us using the cool new "device to have" and we want it too. It is through our addiction and level of desire that we are able to justify these expenses. Owning the latest and gratest gizmo satisfies the cravings we have to be that person. It's totally worth it, right?
4 comments:
Shrewd advertising techniques used by large corporations convince consumers they "need" the latest and most expensive items/gadgets released.
These elusive methods of advertising are the main reason "Americans spend around 9% of their income on electronics and appliances".
A large part of these corporation's success and increase in stock numbers and quarterly income statements are the consumers "must have now" mentality.
On top of that, one may wonder if these large corporations would use advertising techniques that would not play on consumers vanity, will their conversions rate remain as high as they are.
This reminds me of this video my RA sent out last year that mentions something called planned obsolescence, which is when companies design products cheaply so that consumers need to buy new products more often. This is more of a sustainability issue, but still important as a consequence of the demands of constant connectivity.
On a more related topic, I've seen evidence that the pressure to have gadgets with more features is part of what drives the feedback loop of increasing need for connectivity. It is not only the desire to be "cool" or on top of new technology but also the evolution of social expectations. For instance, cell phones started out as convenient luxuries that only some people had, but now it is expected, and almost required, to have a cell phone just to be able to function at work and in society. Now the same thing is happening with text-enabled phones and Facebook accounts. Some researchers think that the social pressures have become so deeply rooted that they in turn impact people's self identity, causing them to desire constant connectivity (on top of that required by work, etc), which in turn just creates more demand for new features.
In many ways I feel like getting the latest form of technology is a fashion statement. I mean why do people go for the expensive but slick/smooth looking iPhone4 over the less cool more affordable blackberry when they serve the same purpose? It is understandable that we spend money on the latest forms of technology because our current society deems it necessary but we do not need to spend a lot money. The difference in price between a Mac book and PC is a good two times. Both can access the internet, have word processors, and can play games. The main difference are Macs look cooler while PC's look boring. The Apples commercials comparing the Mac's and PC's says it all. These commercials depict a young and well dressed man as Apple while the PC is depicted as a boring man sporting a bland suit and glasses. I think getting the latest technology for an affordable price is possible, maybe easy. It depends on whether or not you prefer to get the "hip" products in which case you would have to spend more money.
I think it's important to draw a distinction between "desire" and "addiction." While I agree that there are certainly forces pushing us toward continual acquisition, I would not say that our consumerism constitutes an addiction.
The American economy is in large part based on our love of buying shiny new toys, and has been since before current technologies such as cell phones and laptops.
I think the 9% partly reflects our general collective urge to shop, and is in part a sort of entertainment value rationale. You may spend money to play a game or have internet capabilities on your cell phone, but the price is psychologically offset by the enjoyment it brings you.
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