Me & Consumerism
Buying, buying and buying, we just can’t seem to stop! The array of items available online and the creativity and ingenuity of innovative products that just screams ‘Get me now!’, our world might have slowly devolved into one more of conformity than that of free choice. I am not one to judge our ability to consume a huge range of items in a short span of time. However, I would like to comment that despite consumerism being a possible trend of our time, we as consumers ourselves stand to gain from this whirlwind of choices.
First of all, choices. Wouldn’t you like to be able to choose. Ironically, this isn’t the case for some of us. We tend to be uncertain of things that we have never seen before. Imagine Apple, when the late Steve Jobs first started creating and marketing incredible out of this world products to our predecessors back then, no one was sure that such out of the world design will appeal to the masses. Steve was a genius of course, though he wasn’t always right, he was when he had to be. Today, the trends have started to once again favor the consumers in that we are poised to be able to choose the product’s form and design as well as customizing it to our personal preferences. It is not uncommon for many to end up just taking up classic designs that have been tested and used rigorously over the years. It is safe and safe is good. However, why not explore? The road ahead is never certain, just take a leap of faith and do what’s bold. If we are able to choose, let us employ our rights and use it to our advantage.
Second, price. It used to be standard economics where prices seem to favour the producers, yet these days, markets have opened up and prices have plunged, what a great time we are in! Yet, we seem to ignore the drop in prices and strive for the luxurious goods that are often overpriced. This irrationality is frankly understandable yet perplexing at the same time. Why then do we chase fame and brands that are simply overcharging us honest consumers? It may be down to vanity, pride and other humanly factors but ultimately what this has resulted in may just be a large disparity between well established businesses and those new players who have not gained substantial reputation for our trust. Perhaps then, prices are no longer that important for the middle class and above. Luckily though, the lower income stands to benefit as more products are within.
Lastly, innovation. To separate ourselves from others, we have our perks and quirks. Individuality has been a salient call in our consumers market and from the perspective of an ordinary consumer, uniqueness of a product is rather crucial when we consider our purchases. Gone were the days where we all used a basic looking leather wallet. Now, we use sublimation printing, stitching and other techniques to deliver products that simply feel different to the consumer. Moreover, we incorporate functions once thought impossible to our products giving it value and tech that may be excessive at times. We are no longer looking at markets that stagnate but more of a versatile market that is slowly catering to the fantasies of the consumer.
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter what the age of consumerism has changed us but what it could bring further in the future. We have witnessed the immense competition that is ever present in the variety of sectors that we consumers have access to. In future, we might just produce the goods that we need at our disposable and leisure. Perhaps that shall be the time where the consumer can finally consume what he produces, very much unlike the specialization we see in the world today.
