Earthblog

Technology is an ever-changing phenomenon that is constantly updating, and releasing new and improved products onto the market. This has created a new generation of people who are filled with a consumeristic desire to own the latest and greatest gadgets.

Technology is constantly changing, updating and releasing new products onto the market. This has caused a generation of people who rush to the store to buy the newest and best technological development out there.

Today people are driven to own the biggest and best gadget. Companies have taken note and have started to develop products that not only suit a function but also please the eye.

Macbooks and iPod Nanos have become increasingly popular helping the Apple brand gain popularity. By:Nadine Miller

Erin Field, a young woman in Calgary, admits to giving into her impulsive spending habits when she visits large retail tech stores.

“I saw the new iPod nano in the store and I had to have it, even though I knew I had a perfectly fine older model of the Ipod at home. I bought the new Ipod because it’s purple, and I bought it for its purpleness,” said Field.

Field says she knows that she doesn’t always need the new gizmos but often gives into her desire to keep up with technology trends.

“I think most people do not research or know much about the specifications of the technology they are buying, mostly people are duped into making their decisions based on advertising,” said Field.

But keeping up with technology trends doesn’t come without a cost. Field admits that she is currently in debt from past technology purchase including an Apple Macbook laptop that she purchased three years ago.

“We’ve definitely created a consumer culture and advertising companies naturally play into that. Who can blame them?” said Field.

Technology is constantly changing, records, once popular have since been replaced by CDs, which will soon be replaced byt something new. By:Nadine Miller

Field says that she feels society drives the cycle of pointless consumerism and that it is easy to get sucked in.

“One minute you are buying a new laptop and the next thing you know you find yourself buying one accessory after another to go with the laptop. Then you are looking for space in your house to put all these new gadgets. It all builds up,” said Field.

Daniel Matar, an ex-Apple store employee says that he found most of his customers were uninformed and technically clueless.

“I can honestly say that not a single one of my customers I worked with was technically proficient in any way when it came to the computer or its operating systems, however there were a few individuals with a great deal of knowledge with a specific software that was installed on or would run on the MAC,” said Matar.

Matar says that customer awareness all depends on the person.

Phones have undergone many changes over the last decade. By: Nadine Miller

“A lot of people buy a product because their friend has one or their cousin has one and they swear that it is the best thing ever. (They) will most likely purchase a computer, but the people who purchase a product because they do their research and want a product that will fit their needs and not their wants most likely never purchase an Apple computer,” said Matar.

However, Matar does admit that he also has succumbed to his desires and purchased technologies that he didn’t need.

“I recently bought an Acer Ferrari 4400 Carbon Fiber Laptop. It was not the best technologically advanced laptop but no one had it and it looked very nice,” said Mata r.

Matar says that his desire to keep up with the newest technological advances does add up.

“If you accumulate all the technology in my house there is over $100,000 worth of equipment ranging from 2 Xbox systems to a Telecom router that allows you to call anywhere in the world for free. Yearly I spend approximately $12,000 on technology,” admitted Matar

Matar feels that if you look at the history of technology you can see that it has progressed in a natural way. It started out as a highly technical and gradually transformed into a highly accessible, user-friendly product.

“After companies developed the software to become more user-friendly and accessible to customers they began working on the overall appearance of the devices they were selling and now their focus has shifted to its simplicity and ease of use i.e. the new Microsoft commercials "I am 6 and I'm a PC,” said Matar.

Matar says that while working at Apple he saw how important it was for people to keep up with technological advances and trends.

“Trends are everything to people, and if that means having to buy a new iPod nano because it has a camera or the new iPhone 3Gs because everyone else purchased the 3G and you would be one of the select few to be part of "The S Class" it is totally worth it for a lot of people,” said Matar.

In a study done by Gerard Hastings in 2003 called “The critical contribution of social marketing theory and application” he examines how the “symbiotic relationship between social, commercial, and critical marketing thought is used.”

Hastings states that, “marketers seek to influence consumer behavior.”

“Much ill health and many social problems are caused by human behavior. Social marketing puts these two phenomena together and uses marketing insights to address social behaviors. In the process, both arms of the discipline can benefit. Social marketing also recognizes environmental influences on behavior and that commercial marketing can be an important part of this influence,” writes Hastings.

Buying the latest gadget can be fun, but it can also be a pricey addiction. So think twice when buying those crystal-encrusted headphones.