Aspiration
by phill
photo credit: Armando Maynez
It’s natural that
while I’m hunting around for a job, I begin to think about what it is I’m going to do once I have found one. This will be the first time that I am involved in what will be my career, rather than my education. Not only that, but this will (hopefully) be the first time that I command a wage that can be considered in any way plentiful.
Realising this, I’ve been mulling over the ways in which we, as consumers, spend money. I had a delightful (and enlightening and challenging, as always) chat with Laurie yesterday and we talked a lot about what we do with money, and why we do it. Specifically with regards to the pressures of marketing and aspirational branding/living.
Aspirational branding and its social implications is a topic that has interested me for quite a while. His Holiness Charlie Brooker has produced a very insightful piece of documentary regarding aspiration within television marketing and programming, which covers most of the bases more quickly and with cleaner lines than anything I could, so I suggest you check that out if you’re interested.
What the conversation with Laurie and I centred around was the idea of living independently, sans aspirational consumerism, while engaging and building a community. Translated, that means: not buying stupid shit, not owning stupid shit, and using your finances to support creative endeavours by friends and colleagues. The definition of ‘stupid shit’ is, obviously, a subjective one, but for me it includes such things as label brand clothing, expensive cars, expensive televisions, etc. And I’m keenly aware that list makes me sound like an old man, but I just fail to see the point of these childish things. Why aspire to follow the cycle of fashion which exists purely to make you buy more clothes? Why buy a $50,000 car which is speed-limited to the same pace as a $2,000 one? The mind boggles at the transparent surface-level thinking that must go along with the use of money in this way. I am earning money; I am big and strong; choose me as your friend/mate.
There are exceptions. I don’t begrudge those who have an active mechanical interest in automotives their passion, for example. But I would much prefer to commission a student of film, or ask an artist to paint my family and friends, than own a big shiny chunk of materialism. But what is it that makes other people, particularly those with a large disposable income, follow through with such purchases? This is the kind of stuff that will tie in with the project that I have planned for 2012, which may or may not be an attempt at a novel. Okay, well, actually, it is an attempt at a novel. But no promises as to a completion date.
Anyway, thanks again to Laurie for the great coffee conversation. I’ve just spent the day garnering answers to the question of Kindle Direct Publishing, so expect a small post about that soon.
No related posts.
Comments
Totally agree!
I think one of the reasons people buy stupid shit is because there is a wider cultural belief (right or wrong) that these things will deliver happiness, and hence the difference between that and the kinds of alternative products/services you mentioned is largely a skew in cultural collateral. That and I guess other attributes of the product cycle including availability, visibility and distribution. Crowd sourcing is only new, but it’s also only still niche – will likely be a long time before we see kick starter projects advertised during 2 and a Half Men.
@Mark: Beyond satisfying basic needs, I don’t think there’s a hidden repository of happiness that comes with material goods. There can be a beauty in material objects, such as those produced by artisans and designers, but merely owning an object doesn’t provide you with the tools necessary to appreciate it in a way that might bring you happiness. It’s the passionate car owner versus the 20-something hoon who wants to impress his mates. There is a difference in appreciation there.
Oh my, I’d hate to see that kind of thing happen. Although it could be argued that there are plenty of independent artists that have taken money from companies to provide fodder for marketing campaigns.