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Posted Under: Consumer Behavior
I don’t have an iPhone, and have no plans to acquire one. But I have to admit I’m becoming increasingly intrigued by some of the applications I read/hear about.
Here are two that seem to take, or aim to take, one of the most familiar notions of the American urge to acquire to new levels. The notion I refer to is: instant-ness.
Instant-ness example number one: Looking at an iPhone ad on the back page of a newspaper (I know it’s verboten to mention actually noticing an ad in the newspaper, but set that aside), I zeroed in on an app called Shazam. “Ever hear a song wonder who sings it? Just hold your iPhone up to the music and, in seconds, you have the name, artist and album, plus a link to iTunes so you can get it for yourself.”
Instant-ness example number two: A friend of Consumed dropped me a line the other day about the iPhone’s Amazon app. “You are supposed to photograph something and then Amazon searches for it… ( face recognition tech??),” he wrote. “I suppose leading to a time when you would see someone’s watch, snap a photo with your phone and have it delivered overnight? Or use Genius to find the range of similar things you would like? Shopping synapse.”
While I don’t know enugh about the app to know if that first part is an accurate description, I’m guessing the general direction in which the technlogy will move is much as my correspondent suggests.
Everybody loves instant-ness, I guess. But I would also suggest that the instant is the enemy of the special. Making an effort to track something down (a song name, a model of watch) has its own rewards. I think the process adds to the eventual value and meaning of the thing — at least in those cases when you stick with it, shaking off or forgetting those instances where the effort isn’t worth it, a winnowing process that is also its own reward.
But clearly the future seems to be: You hear it, you see it — you own it. And then what? You lose interest in it, that’s what. And you move on to the next new novelty that crosses your path. The pleasure of the new novelty from a few days, hours, minutes ago — well, that’s forgotten.
In an instant.
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Reader Comments
Hey Rob,
First off Happy Holidays. Like you, I have been resilient to getting an iPhone as I am also a power BlackBerry user. Well, after hearing about all of these apps, etc… I just felt like I was “falling behind” as someone involved in Marketing and New Media. A couple of days ago, I sucked it up and settled on the iPod Touch 32 GB (you know, the iPhone without the phone part). I have been blown away. Even reading Google Reader and going through Twitter is better on the Touch than my laptop (not kidding).
And yes, the instant-ness of it all really changes my perception of media, etc… Bite the bullet and get one. You can blame it on doing it in the name of “research”
Rob, I think you’re spot on that the instant is the enemy of the special. That first windfall of ease is special, having learned a new skill of using Amazon on your phone, but subsequent purchases are less and less valuable.
Value is found in challenging yourself, and ultimately reaching your goal. It’s an internal phenomenon, the creation of self-worth. Material goods are a symbol which are used to remind yourself of the self-worth created in attaining the material good, and a tool for use in further challenges.
Instant-ness, while convienent, diminishes the act of discovery. There’s a lot to be said for discovery; it gives people a sense of knowledge and accomplishment that spoon-fed information fails to provide.
Happy holidays, Rob. Also, thanks for the delicious link to my Flickr set on product placements!
While I don’t necessarily disagree with your premise, I think these two apps aren’t as much about instant ownership as it is remembering (Amazon’s feature is actually called “Remembers). Both apps help you identify something you might not otherwise be able to identify and what you chose to do after that fact is completely up to you. I don’t think it “”diminishes the act of discovery” as Gladys suggested, but rather a tool that aids it.
Also, just as a side note, the Amazon app works by sending your picture to Mechanical Turk where people are paid something like 10 cents to find a link for the item in the photo.
One very nice piece of pushback against this instant-ness – and especially the consumptive aspect of it – is a bookmarklet that my buddy Fred worked up, whereby you can browse Amazon and then by clicking the bookmarklet, find the item (book, generally) in our university’s library collection. From there you can reserve it or have it delivered from a nearby university – a clever non-commercial way to utilize Amazon’s vast books database.
Mitch: What is “Twitter”? Also: What is “research”?
Just kidding. Anyway, I don’t know, maybe when either my ipod or cellphone stop working. We’ll see.
Steve: Well said.
Gladys: Also well said, and no problem on the link. Cool set.
Noah: Interesting about Mechanical Turk.
jkd: Great hack!
Happy everything to all.