NONE OF YOUR FRIENDS BOUGHT THIS!
Do we lose our Identity with too much sharing? If I buy, listen, eat, and dress like all my friends, will I become just like them? Do I really want to? What about me?
Will the real CASUDI sit down?
Everyone is buzzing that “sharing” is the hot thing; including Cecile Poignant, guest on a recent fascinating #ideachat twitter chat, which highlighted the “Sharable Economy” as the main long-term trend which will change the world.
Cecile went as far as to call it “good sharing”, when I said something negative about ‘over-sharing’.
This put me in mind of the Romans, who built their paved roads to expand trade and share. They were “good” roads resulting in increased commerce (lots more sharing;-); then, quite predictably, the bad guys (bandits) took advantage of these fabulous roads allowing easy access to Rome, and, well, you know what happened next.
Will sharing have its bandits? Will our identities be shared so much that we will lose our identity, individuality, and whatever makes us unique and different….because we will have shared so much we will become/do/have just like everyone else?
Everyday I am getting more bored with hearing the tiniest little detail of what my friends do…..with the implication that I should do the same. In fact I don’t give a rat’s **s what all the others are doing…. I want what I want, which may be quite different than what my friends and acquaintances want …. I’m into unique, different, one-of-a kind…Amazon gets it dead wrong when they try to lure me with “those who bought this also bought that”….. so am I very different in wanting and being different? Guess I’m not seeking peer approval here…….!
Is this the “living end” or the “new normal?” I was buying some designer frames recently at Ottica Bellevue, and heard about a customer who had “shared” his image to 50 FB friends for their opinion, asking “what should I buy?” (Darn! Where did that self-confidence go?)
On the other hand I knew just what I liked, and I bought it. Of course I asked the ‘Art God’ for his expert opinion, but it wasn’t a deciding factor; I was just massaging his ego 😉
We all know the dangers of casually sharing your location; not at home = house empty, come on in… Sharing information about your children, teenagers sharing with strangers…you name it, lots of potentially ‘scary sharing’ out there…
Will the pendulum soon swing to the other side…? This post on the MENG blog by Drew McLellan definitely came to an interesting conclusion. I’ve been thinking about it for sometime in relation to the predictability of sharing: Is Being Random a Trend Worth Watching?
I have to admit there is great convenience in the convenience of sharing music/books/reviews. Though I have always preferred to create my own music and book lists, I of course don’t hesitate to take an occasional excellent recommendation or two from a friend 😉 I guess after all I am falling into the “Share” trap
Before all this “obsessive” sharing reared it’s head, I looked at the universe in a simple (overly simple?) way ~ There were trend-setters, style makers & trend/style-followers. Most of my life I have been asked which books I am reading, what music do I like, where do I shop…..but fortunately (so far) no one is sharing my red-hat! My avatar is still unique..
So will the “serendipity” app end up over taking the “sharable economy app”? Will there be an app to tell you that NONE OF YOUR FRIENDS BOUGHT THIS?
Maybe I don’t get it? If so please share with me….. where I am missing the point?
@CASUDI Designing Success.
