Addictions in daily life
By 0dickshouse0
@0dickshouse0 (79)
Taiwan
January 29, 2013 4:30am CST
When buying things, we are taught to exactly distinguish "what we need" from "what we want." A wise consumer would refuse the temptation to buy extra stuff. Here comes a problem: Are all the needs really necessary? Or it is just because others tell you that you need it...?
Compare to the time when I was only a ten-year-old boy, I just found that I've gained so many "needs" these years because of the direct or indirect persuasion. I admit sometimes being cheated by commercials, but I think there is more than that.
Merchandisers have studied thousands of years to let others buy their things, and we gradually addict to some nonsense saying such as, "improving quality of life," "making you life more convenient," or "gaining your competitive advantages." These addicting sayings make us think our life really should go that way, and we start to add our list of needs. While we are gaining pressure of our life, these guys are planing other things to make the list even longer.
Maybe I should do another admitting... I admit that I might say something nonsense just because of the reluctance of buying shockingly expensive iPhone...... My boss told me that they are going to introduce the "i" system into the company, and everyone has no excuse not to have one...... I don't like that tech stuff...
4 people like this
9 responses
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
29 Jan 13
I agree with you there... I have just one addiction... coffee.. I drink many cups a day. But I dont do sweats, or smoke... so I guess my habit could be a worse one...
1 person likes this
@randomarts09 (1405)
• Indonesia
1 Feb 13
Yeah, I guess we somehow fall victim on what we really need. More often than not, we'd buy something we need which actually don't really needed. Something like technology, everyone buy it because it's the latest technology which in other words needed, while it's just because we just want it to look cool or something.
@ctryhnny (3460)
• United States
29 Jan 13
I never buy anything I don't need because I'm on a strict budget and can't afford any extras. I did work a year ago and was making good money so I bought a Keurig coffee maker that I love but didn't really need because I have a good drip coffee maker. That was my last extravagant purchase.
@dandan07 (1906)
• China
30 Jan 13
Shopping with no purpose is not a very good thing, usually we will buy a lot of wanted but useless things in such shopping. In a supermarket, there are many things with wonderful function. If you make a list before shopping, you will know that kind of functions are not required, while in a purposeless shopping, you will think you really need the functions and then you will spend your money on them.
I think it is hard to control the addiction of daily life.
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
29 Jan 13
To distinguish what you really need, is to know what are your most immediate things that you use in your daily life that you can benefit from. Marketing strategies of companies have really been that good and if we allow ourselves to believe that everything they sell is something that we really need, we'd all go broke.
@suntomm (18)
• China
29 Jan 13
i now have a Blackberry phone,but i want to buy a big screen one. so after weeks thinking,i buy a tablet computer.but several weeks go,i still believe i need a big screen phone.but if i own a big screen phone,the tablet computer is not necessary.and more,before i bought the tablet i had bought a new laptop.when i own the tablet the new laptop is not necessary.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Jan 13
Well if the Iphone is the standard, you have to buy one, but not the most expensive model and maybe one that is not the nearest version. Besides the boss probably would offer his employees Iphones at a discount, maybe it would be last year's model and it is easy to operate them if you are a visual person.
Now as for purchases wants vs needs. If you go back farther people thought that all you needed for life was to have a roof over your head and clothes for your body and enough food to last for a day. Then you had to work to get enough for a meal. That does not apply except in very poor third world countries where there is not enough and people dress in rags. But we are far from that extreme. If you want your life to be better, you may need a few more things. But you do not need or want everything. If what you want is going to make your life more productive, to help others, and so that you can improve your situation, it would be all right to get more items (I would avoid the word, stuff, in reference to this because stuff means something you buy that you would not value and would even through away and think nothing of it.). However do not buy things to be a status symbol and look for quality rather then quantity.
@lelin1123 (15595)
• Puerto Rico
29 Jan 13
I don't fall to the lastest gadget or latest fashion. That is not my way at all. I buy what I truly need and can do without all of the newest items. I didn't get a cell phone till I was fifty-one and got rid of it when the contract was up. Didn't like having a phone that I could be found 24/7. Plus it was hurting my head when I talked on it. So do you have to pay for that new gadget at work or are they giving it too you for free? That would be crazy if you have to buy it.
@else22 (4317)
• India
29 Jan 13
I am not addicted to latest elevtronic gadgets.I now have a chwap cell phone that works well.It had cost me just 1500 rupees.A cheap Nokia cell phone,but I am happy with it.Not that I can't afford costly cellphones.But I am not at all interesteed in latest madels of cellphons.The sound of my cellphone I have with me doeas bot have a lot of features nor do I want to have them.I have only to talk and I confidently talk to my family members,and that's all I want.I am not going to change it till it is functioning well.
