Are we addicted to new?

[kvnchrist]

I've always been one to look back at things nostalgically. I'm not stuck in the past, but I'd like to say that I try to see what can be learned from what has come before us.

 

I've noticed that there seems top be a fixation on things that are new and so-called improved, though I've seen several new editions of old products that haven't exactly worked the way they were advertised.

 

I can't understand why there are sop many people out there that have a visceral need to possess the newest version of anything that comes on the market, I've seen people stay outside dept stores for days just to get a new game, or new tech toy.

 

Why do these people put themselves out like this, for something you can turn off with a switch?

[Pyrosocial]

Yes, for several reasons.

 

One, new often has better features support, ect.

 

Second, new fixes problems with old. (sometimes)

 

Third, "hey have you played that NEW game yet its so awesome and its NEW!"

 

-Pyros

[Vagrant0]

Does this even need to be asked?

 

People like the new, but they also cling to the old.

People are silly like that.

[Alithinos]

There are many reasons people do this I think.

Some do this because they are geeks and feel happy having the latest thing just because they love the thing itself,while many others want to be up to date for showing off purposes.

Sometimes it's excitement.

People are too excited about something and they want it the soonest possible because they are eager for it.

[marharth]

No.

 

For humanity as a whole, maybe.

 

For an example, it pisses me off when people buy almost any apple product right when it comes out.

Edited July 22, 2011 by marharth

[LadyMilla]

I think the fetish of 'new' came with the proliferation of consumerism and mass production. I still remember the tales that my grandparents told me about toys,wooden dollhouses, cradles, rocking horses, personal items, etc. that were passed from one generation to the other (. (on a side note: isn't it funny that in many RPG games and fantasy stories, the old/ancient items are always better than the newly crafted ones?). Mass production, advertisements and marketing created a culture where you are outdated/old-fashioned/not cool if you do not drive the latest car, do not have the latest mobile phones, do not wear the 'fashion-of-the-month' clothes, and so on. I believe it is deeply rooted in the viral nature of the market economy: consumers have to be convinced/forced* to buy and consume products so that manufacturers can maintain and increase their production levels.

 

(*forced = the service life of products is designed in such a way that they do not survive much longer beyond the warranty period, and repairs beyond warranty period cost so much that you are better off buying a new one.).

[McclaudEagle]

Reminds me of a girl in high school who bought a new phone every month just because she wanted to latest...kinda pointless really. I only tend to buy new things when the old thing I'm using is far behind in terms of usability, power and performance...or if it's broken. An example of this would be my TV. I am using 12 year old CRT television for my Xbox 360, but because there's nothing too wrong with it, I don't intend to replace it...yet. I think it is dying now though.

[draconix]

I've always been one to look back at things nostalgically. I'm not stuck in the past, but I'd like to say that I try to see what can be learned from what has come before us.

 

I've noticed that there seems top be a fixation on things that are new and so-called improved, though I've seen several new editions of old products that haven't exactly worked the way they were advertised.

 

I can't understand why there are sop many people out there that have a visceral need to possess the newest version of anything that comes on the market, I've seen people stay outside dept stores for days just to get a new game, or new tech toy.

 

Why do these people put themselves out like this, for something you can turn off with a switch?

 

Who is "we"? We as Humans, we as Americans, we as people of a modern era...

 

And no, unless you are referring to "we" to include yourself and a group of hoarders and "shopaholics," we are not "addicted" to new. People like new for sure, because it's shiny, but it's not addiction until it begins to affect your ability to function in everyday life. If anything, the fondness for new things is the spark of ambition which is what enables people to function.

 

Did I just win?

 

Here's some additional musings for good measure.

 

It is my belief that ironically, there is a trend of people putting the past on a pedestal, and ill-deservedly. Look at the games we play that take place in the past, they're romanticized shams of what real life was actually like. Back then, life sucked, and then you died at the age of 30 from dysentery. For some reason, people quickly lose site of this. People in the old days held onto their personal belongings because people were poor and couldn't afford new things, and life sucked. Nostalgia is probably the only thing that keeps people from killing themselves. Nostalgia, as I have come to understand it, is a condition of the mind, that twists the realities of past experiences to seem better than the present. This gives a person the perspective that life is going to hell in a hand-basket, all the while there is objective proof that quite the contrary is happening.

 

Other examples of the past being put on a pedestal include "Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine" trends, and the acupuncture and chiropractic fads.

Edited July 23, 2011 by draconix

[McclaudEagle]

It is my belief that ironically, there is a trend of people putting the past on a pedestal, and ill-deservedly. Look at the games we play that take place in the past, they're romanticized shams of what real life was actually like. Back then, life sucked, and then you died at the age of 30 from dysentery. For some reason, people quickly lose site of this. People in the old days held onto their personal belongings because people were poor and couldn't afford new things, and life sucked. Nostalgia is probably the only thing that keeps people from killing themselves. Nostalgia, as I have come to understand it, is a condition of the mind, that twists the realities of past experiences to seem better than the present. This gives a person the perspective that life is going to hell in a hand-basket, all the while there is objective proof that quite the contrary is happening.

 

Other examples of the past being put on a pedestal include "Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine" trends, and the acupuncture and chiropractic fads.

 

First thing's first, I doubt anyone will be able to become nostalgic of thing in the era when people died at 30 of the Bloody Flux (dysentery). Unless said people are immortal, I doubt they'll have experienced said era, it being hundreds of years ago. I think most people here are referring to the 1950s, where in many aspects, life was better, even though I've never experienced it. You know what this era has done that the 50s era didn't? Made us lazy.

 

Back in the 1950s, people were actually willing to learn, willing to work hard. They didn't have the technology we take for granted such as dishwashers, computers, etc that make our lives so much easier, and also make us lazier. People back then were hardier, tougher and just got on with what needed to be done. The new generation that has experienced nothing but the easy life in comparison are mostly now just a bunch of whiners. Rather than get on with it, we just complain about it instead.

 

Also, children back in the 50s were much better behaved. Family was closer and people generally respected each other more. Back in the 50s, most schools didn't have "inclusion units" (disciplinery rooms), these days, nearly every major high school has one.

 

I was born in 1991, and as such am part of this generation that seems to go crazy over the latest trends, technology, etc. To be honest with you, there are many things, such as what I listed above, that I wish were still here today. So no, this generation isn't exactly all glossy and awesome, and has many flaws, possibly more so than the older generations.

[Kuraikiba]

New stuff is overrated. Graphics are great, gameplay sucks.

Old stuff is underrated. Graphics okay/suck, gameplay awesome.

 

Besides, new equals more money. And you know the saying... Mo' money, Mo' Problems.