I spent a couple of hours at the mall yesterday, and for a moment, I felt that familiar vibe you get when Christmas is just around the corner. The stores were packed with people buying all sorts of crap, and I couldn’t help but wonder—has inflation really hit us that hard?
It doesn’t seem like it. Somehow, people always find a way to keep their lifestyles going, no matter what. We were supposed to be in a recession by now, but there’s no clear sign of that happening anytime soon.
We’ve been raised to be relentless consumers, and there’s no stopping that train anytime soon. I know this from my own experience. Even when we see through the propaganda of consumer culture, it’s like we’re powerless to resist.
Take me, for example. I’ve been rocking the iPhone 15 Pro for about ten months now. The phone is solid—only a 6% drop in battery health—but I still feel the itch to replace it. Yesterday, I spent way too much time in stores, eyeing new phones like a kid in a candy shop.
As I watched others flit from one phone model to the next, like bees pollinating flowers, I had to ask myself: What the hell is wrong with my phone? Why do I feel like I need to replace it?
The answer is obvious: I don’t. Even if my phone’s battery life takes a hit in the next year, I can always replace the battery and keep using it. It’s not like the iPhone 16 Pro is drastically different. Honestly, Apple hasn’t introduced any groundbreaking changes since the 13 Pro.
And it’s not just Apple. Samsung’s Ultra line is basically the S22 Ultra with minor tweaks. Sure, there are phones with better battery life, but they come with their own trade-offs. There’s no such thing as a perfect product, no matter what we’re talking about.
It seems like nothing is ever enough. We adapt so quickly to what we have, and then this overwhelming urge to upgrade kicks in—even when what we already own works perfectly fine.
Maybe that’s because the stuff we use today isn’t just seen as tools anymore. Phones, cars, clothes, even our homes—they’ve become status symbols, meant to fill some void in our souls, rather than just serve their intended purpose while we enjoy life and its experiences.
No wonder advertising is such a massive industry. They’ve got us hooked by our monkey brains, and there’s no escape in sight.
There’s this old American saying we really should take to heart: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But then again, without consumerism, would we have evolved to where we are as a species? Food for thought.
Have a great Monday, and see you all next time.
Thanks for your attention,
Adrian
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