24-03-2011, 11:41 PM
Differentiating between want and needNatasha Iman | The Star/Asia News Network | Thu Mar 24 2011
Learning how not to be too bothered about not owning the latest gadget can save one from many lectures about the importance of saving up and not spending money on whims and fancies.
FROM the iMacs, to the iPods, the iPhones and finally moving on to the iPads, it's no wonder that all we've been saying these past few years have been "iWant it"!
If you were anything like me, you would have already fallen head over heels for the iPad 2 that Apple recently launched. I am smitten by the tablet's cheeky smart cover and its sleek design.
With technology moving so fast, it's no wonder youth these days are becoming more and more demanding for gadgets. Adults don't always understand young people's obsession with technology and the latest tools.
Most of us would have parents who lived in the not-so-ancient times of technology development. They've had to shift from typewriters to computers, from writing letters to sending e-mail.
Some adults view computers, never mind tablets and smartphones, with wariness and trepidation - as if there is an evil aura emitting from these gadgets.
Look at it from their perspective; they've never had to make the same consumer choices we make everyday.
It's hard to not want everything shiny and sleek that call out as we surf the Internet. Youths are so at home with the latest technology and tools, but sometimes I cannot help but wonder if we are being moulded into a materialistic generation.
I vividly remember when I held the first ever generation of the iPod family in my hands about nine years ago. At that time, the iPod only came in black and white, and was thick compared to my current iPod Touch.
But I was content with its shape and design. Alas, not too long after that, the iPod classic came out and a few years later the iPod touch. Needless to say I've jumped on the technology bandwagon and have had my fair share of the "i" family.
Throw me one of those early iPods today, and I wouldn't even take a second look at it! It feels as though technology has managed to capture me as I grew older. It's almost second nature for me to be alert and adapt to the latest development in technology, and to be familiar with the gadgets that enable me to do different things online.
It does appear like we are chasing after the latest gadgets, and in that sense we seem materialistic. But in the defence of my peers and myself, we're only trying to keep up with the ever-changing world around us.
Then again, as much as I'd hate to admit it, perhaps we should also take a step back and be more sensible in our pursuit of the latest gadgets, and space out our tech demands.
There is always a new version of a smartphone launched this month, and a new camera model another month.
Just like most people my age, I have trouble distinguishing between my wants and my needs. Most times, it seems as though I need everything I want and want everything I need.
I have learnt to not be too bothered about not owning the latest gadget, and console myself with the fact that whatever I buy this month will be "old" the next month. So, the longer I delay my tech purchase, the more updated my gadget will be.
It's a strategy that seems to be working, and has certainly saved me from many lectures about the importance of saving up and not spending money on whims and fancies. Still, there is no running away from the need to buy or update our tech tools.
So the question remains, how do you get what you want when you think you deserve to want it? How do you explain to your parents why you need a tablet with two cameras, or a camera with a higher ISO, or a laptop with higher speed and longer battery life? To our parents forking out the cash, they all look like fancy metallic items that cost a lot.
I abide by the belief that "patience is virtue". As much as I'd hate to admit it, sometimes the easiest way to get what you want is simply by waiting and wearing your parents down.
Waiting shows resilience, and is like a monthly test your parents give you to make sure you still haven't swayed from what you originally wanted.
So, whether it's waiting for that laptop to snap into two, "accidentally" misplacing your phone or planning for that birthday that's coming up in ten months' time, we've all had some persuasion strategies that have been effective with our parents somewhere along the line.
Sometimes, when all fails, maybe the next time your parents ask "Why do you even need it?", let's quote Madonna, "Cause everybody's living in a material world, And I am a material girl (or boy)".
It might just work ...
Natasha, 16, is always online on some gadget or another but she has still to convince her parents that she needs an iPad.
Learning how not to be too bothered about not owning the latest gadget can save one from many lectures about the importance of saving up and not spending money on whims and fancies.
FROM the iMacs, to the iPods, the iPhones and finally moving on to the iPads, it's no wonder that all we've been saying these past few years have been "iWant it"!
If you were anything like me, you would have already fallen head over heels for the iPad 2 that Apple recently launched. I am smitten by the tablet's cheeky smart cover and its sleek design.
With technology moving so fast, it's no wonder youth these days are becoming more and more demanding for gadgets. Adults don't always understand young people's obsession with technology and the latest tools.
Most of us would have parents who lived in the not-so-ancient times of technology development. They've had to shift from typewriters to computers, from writing letters to sending e-mail.
Some adults view computers, never mind tablets and smartphones, with wariness and trepidation - as if there is an evil aura emitting from these gadgets.
Look at it from their perspective; they've never had to make the same consumer choices we make everyday.
It's hard to not want everything shiny and sleek that call out as we surf the Internet. Youths are so at home with the latest technology and tools, but sometimes I cannot help but wonder if we are being moulded into a materialistic generation.
I vividly remember when I held the first ever generation of the iPod family in my hands about nine years ago. At that time, the iPod only came in black and white, and was thick compared to my current iPod Touch.
But I was content with its shape and design. Alas, not too long after that, the iPod classic came out and a few years later the iPod touch. Needless to say I've jumped on the technology bandwagon and have had my fair share of the "i" family.
Throw me one of those early iPods today, and I wouldn't even take a second look at it! It feels as though technology has managed to capture me as I grew older. It's almost second nature for me to be alert and adapt to the latest development in technology, and to be familiar with the gadgets that enable me to do different things online.
It does appear like we are chasing after the latest gadgets, and in that sense we seem materialistic. But in the defence of my peers and myself, we're only trying to keep up with the ever-changing world around us.
Then again, as much as I'd hate to admit it, perhaps we should also take a step back and be more sensible in our pursuit of the latest gadgets, and space out our tech demands.
There is always a new version of a smartphone launched this month, and a new camera model another month.
Just like most people my age, I have trouble distinguishing between my wants and my needs. Most times, it seems as though I need everything I want and want everything I need.
I have learnt to not be too bothered about not owning the latest gadget, and console myself with the fact that whatever I buy this month will be "old" the next month. So, the longer I delay my tech purchase, the more updated my gadget will be.
It's a strategy that seems to be working, and has certainly saved me from many lectures about the importance of saving up and not spending money on whims and fancies. Still, there is no running away from the need to buy or update our tech tools.
So the question remains, how do you get what you want when you think you deserve to want it? How do you explain to your parents why you need a tablet with two cameras, or a camera with a higher ISO, or a laptop with higher speed and longer battery life? To our parents forking out the cash, they all look like fancy metallic items that cost a lot.
I abide by the belief that "patience is virtue". As much as I'd hate to admit it, sometimes the easiest way to get what you want is simply by waiting and wearing your parents down.
Waiting shows resilience, and is like a monthly test your parents give you to make sure you still haven't swayed from what you originally wanted.
So, whether it's waiting for that laptop to snap into two, "accidentally" misplacing your phone or planning for that birthday that's coming up in ten months' time, we've all had some persuasion strategies that have been effective with our parents somewhere along the line.
Sometimes, when all fails, maybe the next time your parents ask "Why do you even need it?", let's quote Madonna, "Cause everybody's living in a material world, And I am a material girl (or boy)".
It might just work ...
Natasha, 16, is always online on some gadget or another but she has still to convince her parents that she needs an iPad.