Technology And Collaborative Consumerism Essay

1128 words - 5 pages

In a perfect world, collaborative consumerism sounds ideal. A network that exists to help people share, declutter and connect sounds exactly like what we need. However, I feel that when you break down the idea, it doesn’t sound so black and white. In today’s society we are incredibly consumer driven, not to mention Americans specifically. I believe we strive for the whole package, not just the physical looks as we discussed previously but the expensive car and handbag are just as important.

As Americans, some would argue that many of us live beyond our means. It’s not un common for my generation to be in thousands of dollars of credit card debt. I feel this phenomenon has ...view middle of the document...

My room is full of things I don’t use and may never again. “They sported $300 ski jackets-and never went near a slope” (Cleveland 280). I found this quote to be to the point and probably something all of us can relate to on some level. As Americans some of believe our self worth is only evident by the “stuff” we own. We have become consumer obsessed as opposed to other countries and societies. Everything is bigger is America. If you think of Europeans, most they are more concerned with the quality of their life, and not the quantity of personal items they own. They cherish the time spent with loved ones, eating great food, and living in a culturally driven society as opposed to our consumer driven society.

The idea of collaborative consumerism is to create a community in which we can trade our old goods for newer or different ones, hopefully while decluttering our life and ceasing our desire to be consumer addicts. There are so many new outlets out there for collaborative consumption. EBay, Netflix, Redbox and Amazon are just a few of the websites you can visit to share. Each of these websites shares their products differently, but under the same umbrella concept. Amazon and EBay are websites where you can virtually search for any type of product from DVD’s to baby clothes and wide array of purchasing options come up. You can buy the product new or used and are even given the option to trade. As someone who purchases from Amazon regularly, I love that you can find books and CD’s used, things that I don’t find necessary to purchase brand spanking new. Even though I don’t have an Amazon credit card (though I have been offered many times) and am not a member of their “Amazon Prime” group (you pay a monthly membership and receive special perks) my Amazon account knows me, and always has recommendations for products I night like. When browsing on my computer on Amazons site when I search an items it will give me options to purchase, including a trade in option where they will then go back through my purchase history and suggest I might trade in an old DVD I had bought months before.

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