Experiential Consumerism

[Wookey]

Lots of people now more clearly understand our reliance on unsustainable production and consumption. There's a landfill guilt tax to be paid if you have any kind of sense of responsibility, so loads of people are genuinely making an effort to cut down on what they buy or what's bought for them, which can only be good.

The shame as I see it is the lack of imagination that drives some people to buy off the peg experiences, abrogating their responsibilities to themselves and paying for a created memory. Retail has used experiential approaches for years to try and close the gap between what online and IRL retailers can offer, and Red Letter Days are another aspect of that. But it's not real.

I have a problem feeling authentic in any designed or overly organised experience if I'm honest. Safaris and escape rooms and hot air balloons just strike me as kinda hollow and wouldn't satisfy me. I'd just be embarrassed.

 

[yield]

Ties into the wellness industry
In wellness, 'transformative' is the new 'experiential': Travel Weekly

When it comes to luxury and wellness travel, those overly used descriptors, "authentic" and "experiential" are so, well, last year.

The new "it" trend for 2018, according to the Global Wellness Summit's annual Global Wellness Trends Report, is "transformative."

:vomitsmiley:

 

[Treacle Toes]

Ties into the wellness industry
In wellness, 'transformative' is the new 'experiential': Travel Weekly

:vomitsmiley:

Yeah, we know

The whole 'buy an experience' monster has grown out of 1. Lots of people already having too many things already and 2. a play on the character building/culture/self development quest being incorporated into the reasoning of marketing campaigns/strategies.

 

[Fez909]

Not for me. I have aphantasia, so have no visual memories whatsoever.

A meal at a posh restaurant vs a £100 jumper then.

Just like not even material item is the same, nor is every experience. Mine was just an example where I'd prefer the experience over the thing.

If it was "get kicked in the knackers for 5 hours" vs "buy a new set of ace speakers", of course the speakers would 'win'.

 

[killer b]

Lots of people now more clearly understand our reliance on unsustainable production and consumption. There's a landfill guilt tax to be paid if you have any kind of sense of responsibility, so loads of people are genuinely making an effort to cut down on what they buy or what's bought for them, which can only be good.

The shame as I see it is the lack of imagination that drives some people to buy off the peg experiences, abrogating their responsibilities to themselves and paying for a created memory. Retail has used experiential approaches for years to try and close the gap between what online and IRL retailers can offer, and Red Letter Days are another aspect of that. But it's not real.

I have a problem feeling authentic in any designed or overly organised experience if I'm honest. Safaris and escape rooms and hot air balloons just strike me as kinda hollow and wouldn't satisfy me. I'd just be embarrassed.

I wonder how we might judge authenticity in a world where everything is mediated - your authenticity is fake and hollow to the next person, and so on.

 

[chilango]

I wonder how we might judge authenticity in a world where everything is mediated - your authenticity is fake and hollow to the next person, and so on.

I remember writing essays about the desire for authenticity in tourism being a m/c trait a few years back. Can't remember what my conclusions are though

 

[chilango]

Charity shops something something potlatch.

 

[cheesethief]

Not for me. I have aphantasia, so have no visual memories whatsoever.

Just curious: Did you used to be able to visualise memories?

 

[ElizabethofYork]

Just curious: Did you used to be able to visualise memories?

No, never been able to.

 

[cheesethief]

No, never been able to.

Does that mean you are unable to describe a scene to someone after the event? Just curious about how the mind works...

 

[8ball]

I think this is an interesting topic, but you got off on the wrong foot by comparing it to your own more virtuous model of consuming experiences.

It's difficult to avoid these discussions becoming a babushka doll of sneering - at the end of the day everyone is searching for meaning in an increasingly fucked up world, and it's understandable that many people in a consumer-based society would find purchasing meaning an option.

<sneers at "reasonable man" branded virtue-signalling>

 

[8ball]

No, never been able to.

That's quite interesting. My visual memories can take over to the degree that I can walk into stuff when thinking about something, or not see people in the room.

What colour is your front door?

 

[Wookey]

I wonder how we might judge authenticity in a world where everything is mediated - your authenticity is fake and hollow to the next person, and so on.

But not everything will be mediated as long as we have art and imagination!

 

[killer b]

<sneers at "reasonable man" branded virtue-signalling>

<sneers at use of alt-right talking points like 'virtue signalling'>

and so it goes.

 

[killer b]

I think it's easy for discussions like this to view the topic as evidence of individual moral failings, rather than evidence of a fucked society. I think it'd be a more fruitful discussion to focus on the social is all.

 

[8ball]

<sneers at use of alt-right talking points like 'virtue signalling'>

<sneers at ignorance of basic signalling theory and conflation with social media tribalism>

 

[8ball]

I think it's easy for discussions like this to view the topic as evidence of individual moral failings, rather than evidence of a fucked society. I think it'd be a more fruitful discussion to focus on the social is all.

I may be a little long in the tooth to be surprised at this kind of silliness, but it seems to be largely talking about what we used to call "going on holiday", and the fact that when people have bought enough stuff, they'll spend a bit more disposable income on that instead.

 

[andysays]

I remember writing essays about the desire for authenticity in tourism being a m/c trait a few years back. Can't remember what my conclusions are though

I was just thinking about the 'I'm not a tourist, I'm a traveller' thing while reading the thread.

I suppose it should come as little or no surprise that just about anything which can be commodified will be, including 'experiences'

 

[chilango]

In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation.

LynnDoyleCooper

 

[ElizabethofYork]

Does that mean you are unable to describe a scene to someone after the event? Just curious about how the mind works...

Yes, exactly that. I can't describe scenes after the event. I can't give directions. I can't visualise anything whatsoever!

 

[killer b]

I may be a little long in the tooth to be surprised at this kind of silliness, but it seems to be largely talking about what we used to call "going on holiday", and the fact that when people have bought enough stuff, they'll spend a bit more disposable income on that instead.

More or less - and how that impulse has been affected by recent social and technological developments.

I think it's an interesting thing to think and talk about. Fair enough if you don't.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

That's quite interesting. My visual memories can take over to the degree that I can walk into stuff when thinking about something, or not see people in the room.

What colour is your front door?

I "know" that it's white, but I can't visualise it.

 

[8ball]

I "know" that it's white, but I can't visualise it.

When thinking about it, do you hear a voice whispering "white"?
Most people will just see their front door when asked this question.

Also, could you draw a cube on a piece of paper?

(Soz - just kind of fascinated by this)

 

[8ball]

More or less - and how that impulse has been affected by recent social and technological developments.

I think it's an interesting thing to think and talk about. Fair enough if you don't.

There's a market segmentation element of this, and a lot of social media preening which is v annoying (we have the self-esteem industry to thank for this), but I also think a good chunk of it is that so many people have access to a lot of nice stuff, also many are having children later and no one can afford a house anyway, younger folk are drinking and drugging less, so aside from stockpiling avocadoes a lot of their money is going to go into doing stuff.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Sister number one tried this approach on me, I said fair enough and got her kids indoor skydiving lessons. Never cashed in. Trampolining bounce sessions, never cashed in.

Presents, never acknowledged, book tokens unused.

No apparently i’m A miserable fucker when I only send a card for birthdays.

This is coming from a family hovering on the borderline of bankruptcy and living pay day to pay day.

I gave everyone the “don’t get me a present and I won’t get you a present” get out of jail card but it’s so deeply ingrained it’s like someone trying to buy the recovering alcoholic a drink in the pub despite being told

 

[xenon]

I wonder how we might judge authenticity in a world where everything is mediated - your authenticity is fake and hollow to the next person, and so on.

Do we need to judge it, apart from being able to feel culturally superior I mean? It’s all just consumerism.

 

[xenon]

I remember writing essays about the desire for authenticity in tourism being a m/c trait a few years back. Can't remember what my conclusions are though

So much so it’s a cliche isn’t it. The oh you must do the authentic the real et cetera not a package holiday. You know really get off the beaten Trail. I don’t think it really bothers me. Unless it’s very smug and condescending, showily done.

Great tagline BTW

 

[cheesethief]

I "know" that it's white, but I can't visualise it.

Presumably your brain has other means for maintaining an analogue of visual memory? For example, if I asked "Describe to me what Donald Trump looks like?", would you be able to list his key physical features, face shape, bizarre hair colour, etc, without recourse to a picture?

 

[eatmorecheese]

Does 'authenticity' in terms of tourism just mean going to places that don't overtly try to attract tourists? Even though they cater for them?

I don't think this is a new thing, but its framing (and marketing) might be different nowadays. Marketing memories and bragging rights.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I may be a little long in the tooth to be surprised at this kind of silliness, but it seems to be largely talking about what we used to call "going on holiday", and the fact that when people have bought enough stuff, they'll spend a bit more disposable income on that instead.

You must have pretty wealthy mates if they’re all buying you holidays for Christmas. I don’t think I’ve bought a mate a Christmas present in thirty odd years, never mind an ‘experience’.