When I first got back from Bhutan, I had the urge to surround myself with possessions. It was both a reaction to the lack of the luxuries of western life and the need to link to my past as I went through the process of separating myself from Marie. Soon afterwards, a longing for the Bhutanese simplicity of life caught up with me and I had the urge to get rid of all the ‘stuff’ I have accumulated over the years.
That desire has lasted a few years, but it’s starting to crack in the face of the Australian consumer culture. Was the first sign when I bought a car? I don’t think so. I still hate having one, even as I know that it was the only way to allow me the time to work, study and still have some time to myself.
Now, though, the list of gadgets I want is growing. I can justify all of them. A netbook so I’m not tied to my desk to write, a large screen to plug it into when I’m home to save my eyes, good headphones to use when I’m away from my stereo for months at a time and an ereader to remove the paper cluttering up my home.
I can justify them, but I can’t justify getting them now. I’ll be in this house for another year, then I’ll have at least 6 months before I start travelling in earnest and my computers are still working. By the time I get back on the road, the technology will be more advanced and cheaper and there’ll be more books for that ereader. But I don’t want to wait!
What is it about our culture that creates this need for immediate consumer gratification? How can we fight it? If you have any hints, let me know because my usual strength of will is weakening fast.
Hi MAG. The culture thing is easy to explain… companies need us to buy their stuff! They spend lots of money on advertising and marketing execs who specialize in creating want. These people are very good at their jobs. And the one thing they don’t want you to do is think, or wait. They want you to cave into your desire and buy *now*. (I’m not suggesting it is evil, btw… that’s just what they do.)
To fight it, one thing I do is look at what they’re selling objectively and dispassionately. I try to examine the feeling: is it need? want? am I justifying? is it really so important? I try to “let it go”. Often, when I do these things, the desire goes away.
For me it isn’t gagetry so much as clothes… if I walk past certain shops, or go to certain websites, I start wanting the things I see. Not out of need. So what I do is remind myself that I have plenty. I tell myself I’ll wait until the sales. Anything to get my mind off the fixation. And if I find myself poised on the “buy now” button, I make myself wait 24 hours! Good luck!
I know all about marketing, but I don’t watch TV or listen to commercial radio and I’ve never seen an ad for an ereader on the side of a bus. In my case, the want / need is all generated internally. I want to be able to move easily and I want to reduce my impact on the environment. That means a smaller laptop and downloading my books and music rather than killing trees and making more plastic. I know what I want a long time before it actually becomes available. Netbooks and ereaders have finally reached the point that they meet all my needs.
I guess my other problem is that I’m impatient to start my new life of free travel, living and working overseas, writing about the cultures as I go. I know that I must finish uni and save up a bit more money and furnish my flat (for renting out) before I can leave, which will take another 18 months, but I can start getting rid of that clutter now.
That’s not to say that the desire isn’t partly want for new, pretty toys and I think your advice applies quite well. On top of that, I don’t go anywhere near those ‘half price for 24 hours’ websites and I won’t buy any gadgets that don’t exactly meet the requirements I set down long ago. But then, I’m feeding the urge myself by refusing to buy new physical consumables. I can find good, high quality music to download at magnatune, but without an ereader, buying from Kobo Books won’t help, so it’s either buy more paper that I’ll need to store later, or give in to the desire to buy an ereader.
Who says it is culture that drives our desire for new and interesting objects? I’d blame that squarely on human nature. Do you remember the movie “The Gods Must be Crazy”? It shows that even a tribal culture, with traditions spanning generations, can be susceptible to the wonderfully useful object.
While that movie is fiction, there is a definite truth to the story. It nicely shows that gadget desire can be a culturally independent trait.
As for how to cope with gadget desire, good luck with that. Maybe try thinking of the future. If you feel you’re not going to be happy with the purchase, a month or a year down the track, it may put a damper on that desire.