I’m not a very big fan of keeping to a template when it comes to who I am. Not that I’m trying to be all uniquely rebellious here and go the emo route. Just stating preemptively that I’m usually hindered by the fact I have no singular motivation in life, I have several.
Keeping that in mind, with the many fractured interests I have, one of them is a love of gadgets. Not that I actively collect them but there’s this intense genetic disposition I have towards things that glow and beep. Every now and then, this form of gadget adoration kicks in pretty high and I end up neglecting one of my other fractured interests, being frugal, and allow myself to splurge on some new fangled gadget that’s guaranteed to improve my life.
I’m pretty predictable in my collection though, that is to say, I’m in no way a trend setter in my ownership of gadgets. I learned long ago that buy the first iteration of something, while sure to win you medals in the Brag Olympics, always turns out that you’ve been tricked by marketers into becoming a consumer guinea pig for quality assurance testing. Case in point, I bought the first iteration of the iPod Shuffle, owned the first iteration of the Playstation 2 and as well, one of the very first Pentium desktops manufactured by Packard Bell. Yeah, ok, took me a few times to learn that lesson.
Point is, I buy things after it’s been well established they’re not going to immediately break and that after some pre-established passage of time, the market has proven they’re at least worthwhile. Case in point, I own an Ipod Touch, a Nintendo Wii and several other cliche products. Fact is, I purchased all of these items well after it was established, at least in my mind, that they were pretty quality.
Knowing that, currently, there’s this burning desire rising in me to own an iPhone because I could use one. The fact it’s useful to me is an important clarification here because I’d be apt to use a phone shaped like a giant cinnamon roll and in the color pink if it served a valuable purpose as I’m mostly driven by utilitarian principles.
Thing is, I very much don’t like being forced into contracts with a service provider I can’t stand just to own a useful gadget. The fact I have to use AT&T or try and trick my way into another provider doesn’t sit well with me. It’s like buying software you’re just planning to crack so that you can get around some ridiculous flaw in it’s design so you can enjoy it the way you’d like too. At that point, it just makes more sense to not waste the money and headache I feel.
At any rate, this seems to be happening more and more lately. Very cool things I desire to purchase arrive only to be weighted down with some ridiculous stipulation, like a Trojan Horse they hope you’ll allow past the gates. I don’t have that kind of loyalty to a brand or product that I’m willing to rope myself into some proprietary hoop just to be fortunate enough to own something.
I wish companies and manufacturers felt the need to make their products in such a way that they’re required to beg us, the consumer, to allow their product to be deemed worthwhile of our hard earned money. Yet, that would require droves of people not to merely make purchasing decisions simply based on either the peer pressure or simple blind brand loyalty which billions of dollars of marketing is designed to influence.
Hey, look at that, I don’t post anything for 14 days and when I finally do, it’s a rant. Maybe I can add another fractured interest to my portfolio. Preaching.
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