2
Cultural Approach
2.1. Cultural facts
2.1.1. The culture of choice: choices as a cultural fact
The choice of a product or a design is a cultural fact. Even after having received the relevant information on the qualities of use and on the environment of several “candidate” products, sometimes there is no “reasonable” way to decide whether to make the purchase or not. This is where feelings come into play. The consumer-customer will have to make a decision, often without knowing how to give a reason why. Before making a decision, they will experience tension, nervousness or impatience; an unpleasant feeling of rejection, the contracting of certain muscles in their face, as if to anticipate a response. An unpleasant aspect makes them wince. They will be comforted when they reach a decision. It will give them a feeling of satisfaction and an expression of emotion. These reactions come from their emotional experiences. Their emotions will lead to their judgment, and to their final decision.
The Centre de création industrielle (French center of industrial creation) has failed in its support of the culture of products, their use and choice. Established in 1969 within the Union centrale des arts décoratifs (central union of decorative arts), it has made its home in the Centre Georges Pompidou since its opening in 1971. The project began as a bet on an approach that would enrich disciplines long assumed to be too Balkanized: fine and decorative arts, music, literature, architecture, urban planning and design. The rise of “design” (which was more popular than other areas and more accessible to visitors) motivated the decision-makers to give it a presence in this cultural center. However, based on the cultural and social interest in industrial design, the CCI has not provided truly useful information on the products. It had been an area of activity that was rather unintelligible, only applying to a certain elite. Finally, the CCI continued its decline within the museum of modern art, removing any illusions of the profession, the industry and, above all, the general public. It left behind the confusion between artistic and individual activity, and the activity of design within industry.
2.1.2. Cultural choices
Modernism is the movement away from traditions and habits. It means chasing after all things with a new, innovative and progressive veneer, at all costs. Its opponents criticize its relentless, brazen, dehumanized nature.
On the other end of the spectrum, reactionaries are anti-modernists, who oppose change and innovations which do not arise from their conformist and conventional principles. They are bigger supporters of traditions, which they idealize, than of progress, which gives them the impression of decay.
Conservatism is the bias of consumers who refuse aesthetic or technical innovations. Conservatism is opposed to progressivism. It is closely related to traditionalism, the preservation and the protection of the existing brands and products, which are seen as authentic or historic, and that do not age. It is frequently used in a negative way by those who defend modernism and all things contemporary.
Conformism is a resigned purchase behavior, which is indifferent. This social attitude bends to ideas that are usually accepted without any criticism when making a choice. People buy and use things, like everyone else. It means submitting to the influence of the consumer society. It means submitting oneself to views embodied by the collective unconsciousness. It is a good way to avoid disagreements (“I like it” or “I don’t like it”). Conformism allows people to become comfortable with and adjust themselves within the group to which they assimilate. It means only having one train of thought.
However, conformism also annihilates the sense of the creativity and of originality when it comes to choice. This leveling effect seeps into wants, tastes, desires, ideas – in short, all the things that make up everyday life.
The essential elements no longer stand out from the secondary ones. Different personal choices come into conflict with themselves as a result of the poor quality of the products.
2.1.3. Cultural diversity
Cultural diversity is the variety of different habits, experiences, personalities, opinions, tastes, educations, religions, traditions and customs, ages, sexes, etc. Of course, this also includes different usage cases. This is made up of different areas:
- – Physical surroundings, built spaces, equipment, ambient conditions, etc.;
- – The human and social framework, the neighborhood, lifestyle, activities, etc.;
- – Physical resources, energies, fluids, food, materials, etc.;
- – Economic resources, standards of living, budgets, savings, waste, etc.;
- – Temporary resources, the time available, time losses and gains, deadlines, etc.
By respecting diversity and eclecticism, it is possible to oppose or at least react to the development of cultural homogenization, driven by the identical products found around the world. It also means detaching oneself from the mass culture, an appearance-based culture that is rather simplistic, media-based and globalized. And for some, it has a somewhat pejorative connotation. The culture of choice does not seek to adapt to the tastes of other buyers, to follow the standards imposed by the media. The integration of ecological values and the challenge of sustainable development can be sincere. Mass culture can thus be associated with the “consumer society” which is based on the economic process. It is intended for a large number of consumers.
Young people differ from their parents as they harbor their own choices, signaling their membership in the group of the young. By setting their own boundaries to distinguish themselves, young people have become an authenticity to share. This is particularly relevant to the media and advertisements because they are consuming through modernism. Parents are not always excluded however, as can be proven by excessive mobile phone use!
2.1.4. Objects as signals, ostentations
2.1.4.1. Conspicuous consumption
Even though it is considered as a means of transportation, the car has long been perceived, especially by car lovers, as an extension of the self, a symbol of status; an object of conspicuous consumption. But it is not only cars that play this role; the same is true of furniture, the layout of homes and clothing. These are purchases to mark people’s membership in a given group, to allow them to be admitted into a certain community by showing that their way of life is at least similar to that of those around them. Parents may give their child an MP3 player because all their friends have one. This type of expenditure may apply to many different goods: mobile phones, coffee capsules, clothing brands, cars, etc. High-tech products indicate a sense of belonging in the modern and “connected” world. Smartphones and tablets are a response, whether fully or unconsciously, to social functions.
The status of the owners of the product is enhanced by the recognition of their pioneering spirit. Conspicuous consumption is done to generate a certain belief in others, to give the image of a social status, a way of life or individuality. The consumer is faced with the need to be recognized by others through the possession of certain types of products, and also through their reputation for having frequented certain places of sale, including those on the Internet.
The purpose of conspicuous consumption is to display a person’s social level, portfolio, level of life, aesthetic taste, culture or personality. This concept of conspicuousness is important in making this choice: products are made to send out signals. Social value comes before all else. In a period of declining purchasing power, people will not opt to skimp on their cars, but instead on things that are less visible and open to be judged.
Products that are selected and purchased establish the image that others have of you. For example, a famous juicer, made by a celebrated French designer, tells a story. Anyone who owns one will feel obliged to show it off first in order to explain it, then, of course, they will give a demonstration – a simulated one. It is something that says just as much about the person who owns it as does the designer. Some consumers have a tendency to strongly identify with the products they purchase, including brand-name products. These people seek to create a high social status.
In the end, these products are social indicators. They do not necessarily need qualities of usage. In this way, ostentatiousness can be more important than comfort or ease of use.
Peoples’ self-image is reflected by such and such a product. For example, a watch from a big brand that we want to show off and impress people with, and mobile phones, especially with their decorative accessories, are a reflection of the image of their owners.
2.1.4.2. “Sentimental” objects
Objects may have sentimental value because of memories associated with them. They are a source of pride that can be shown off.
Most souvenirs and trinkets are eye-catching but bland, and extremely or artificially romanticized. These objects only carry importance because they are iconic or symbolic, associated with personal memories and experiences. They trigger evocations of ideas. This is the case for gifts or items given by a person to be remembered by. Even if it is only the reminiscence, a vague shadow of a memory, the object will stir up feelings and affection. It is a kind of support for memory.
It is also possible to make attachments with stereotypically ugly objects, like kitsch, and dislike stereotypically attractive products, such as luxurious ones.
These objects are “symbols”, meaningful elements. They “speak”, “say something”, “can be read a certain way”, “are evocative”, “express things”, “tell a story” or “have been given meaning”.
Loaded with such identity, objects are carriers of character traits. They are “branded”, “media-driven” and “tacky”; “warm” and “motherly”, or “masculine” and “industrial”. In this way, they are qualified in the same way as living beings who have a personality and are capable of expressing themselves. These objects have a soul. Their personality makes them symbols of values that reflect the characteristics that are uniquely their own, and they act as loudspeakers for the messages they seek to bring forward.
They “endorse the values of modernity” or make “powerful references”, they provide signs of “wealth” or of “technology”, or may be signs of “purity”, “virginity”, “cleanliness”, “simplicity” or “safety”. In this way, the workings of our self-esteem bring collections of symbolic and/or aesthetic values into play.
2.1.5. Groupthink, fashion and social evidence
Straining their eyes hour after hour on the same screens, consumers cast their gaze on media programs that are more or less the same. And they then receive the same advertising information, brainwashing and chatter. They all end up accepting the same sales pitches and advertising lines and the same choices, in exchange for cash. Fashion is a symbolic world, one that reveals self-affirmation and social influence. Individual behavior is influenced by collective behavior. Consumers in groups are effectively stripped of their independence of thought. They meld their thoughts and behaviors with those of the group by behaving and operating in a way that is different from their own. Most manipulation techniques are based on coinciding areas; they point to where individual and collective behaviors line up. The goal is to persuade oneself in order to render their choices as just and motivated. The observations of the behaviors of others are a kind of social proof. Friends, colleagues and family are often reference points or role models.
The guestbook of the hotels consulted in secret, before writing its appreciation inspires the customers who swarm a store will attract other customers who are more hesitant. The larger the crowd is at a booth at an exposition, the more likely its products will be deemed to be favorable. One customer will become less indecisive about making a purchase if another customer makes the same purchase right in front of them.
Just by looking around, it is clear that everyone follows suit!
We make decisions to buy things because of the thousands of consumers who have already decided to put their trust in this product. “This is crazy, everyone has one!”
It is a kind of “sheep herding” effect: it is necessary to be like everyone else, following the trends while dispensing with any form of critical thought. The canned laughter that is used in some American shows, although some of us may find it repulsive, is used to encourage us to laugh. It is the same reason why beggars and buskers might put a few coins in their jars to encourage and trigger passersby to decide to throw in a few more.
The choice and the purchase, without any information that is really relevant, is based on this thought process: “if everyone else buys that product, there must be a good reason why!”
Owning a smartphone is seen as a must, even though a phone that is only used for phone calls would do the trick for many consumer-users. Customers must compete with their friends, not just by imitating them, but by outdoing them.
Thus, there is a certain allure with respect to the collective judgment that makes it easy to change one’s choice. Social pressure makes people lose all individual consciousness and freedom of reason. It might even make them lose all their intelligence and clarity of thought, causing them to give in to unconscious groupthought. Global industries seek to homogenize people’s behaviors. Consumers all move in the same direction. Their choices are controlled by the overwhelming power of marketers.
Testimonials from Internet users on a well-known brand may include a recommendation by an “expert”, which is seen as social evidence that lends credence to the product. The influence is also shared. There is also an impact, interdependence, interaction, impact or echo between consumers among themselves. The pre-established ideas, preconceived judgments and biases for or against a product are shared among the group. It is difficult to remove these. This gives rise to a rigidity that resists innovation. Moreover, short-lived objects disappear as others appear.
The consumer-users who are not customers try to free themselves from the crowd. They do not carry judgment on everything and they do not take any information for granted. They look for arguments that are rather negative before forming any ideas. They are also suspicious of fast-talking sellers, street performers, chatty friends or testimonials from users on the Internet.
These consumers do not read the press, and are not relatively very independent or sharp regarding the information about the products. Thus, the consumer-users who are often critical must face a certain level of exclusion and marginalization and are frequently cast aside. They are too far away from the prevalent way of life in society.
Mass culture, a pejorative phrase, causes stagnation, or even a collective cultural discouragement. We prefer consensus rather than the individual reasoning adapted to one’s own case of use.
A collective point of view may not satisfy anyone, since it cannot be the answer to the different requirements of each person.
2.1.6. Socio-culture
It is a gigantic staging desires via "fetish" objects, the consumption of signs and fashions. An avant-gardist relayed the culture, driven by global companies. But the industrialization and the globalization allowed to sell cheaper products that went in other social circles: cameras, computers, tablets, libraries, books, cars
The popularization of technology has helped popularize culture. With so-called popular culture, products are available to everyone, without distinctions between social class and country. Mass culture is made first, at a more or less local scale. With the means of mass communication, available cheaply, products produced in large lots, which are enticing, especially for young people, spread out and are distributed everywhere, while not creating enough of a difference between themselves.
The user-friendliness of a product does not depend on its technological level or level of complexity. The product that is not friendly does not have humor. Leave to be forgotten in a short time! Gestures are not possible with SMS and emails They are not sufficiently compensated by the smileys. The user-friendly object is mastered in its use. It is used easily and is not taxed. It produces a real service. It avoids maintenance and important maintenance, without necessarily passing by professionals (such as cars or computer equipment).
They also allow users to shape their worlds to the whims of their imagination and their creativity (e.g. cameras, computers, etc.).
2.1.7. Trends and behaviors
Asian designers are searching for European trends. We must not confuse “trends” with fashion. Fashion only affects “short-lived products”, such as clothing or accessories (and although they never last long, we nevertheless have to wonder how they were chosen in the first place!).
Consumer-customers do some bizarre things. They seem demanding and think they are informed, believe that the communication they have seen is overabundant. Drowning in this “chameleon” effect, the consumer-customer seeks to be different from the others, while the products, by becoming common for all consumers, become bland and mediocre.
The industrial and cultural worlds only target younger consumers. The “baby boomers” are also convinced that they are still young!
All of these revolutions are still never going to make ties go away. They are still an essential element of suits for special occasions, such as weddings. They are still part of the classic attire, and the standard for certain professions or social statuses. It is the best way to create a serious look. It is the symbol of conformism. How can we explain that ties are still “in style” after four or five centuries? Certain “trendy” values are progressing: ethics, the act of sharing, the rejection of waste, the respect of the environment and health, etc. This means we are moving towards a new style of behavior; a new way of life. More and more consumers are no longer attracted by the possession of an object. They want a “useful” purchase that is more reserved and more sensible. However, a large number of consumers, who have become rather frustrated, continue to give in to the siren song of advertising proposals and purchase new items.
2.2. The desire for products
People may buy an item thinking that this will be the last that they will need, especially when it comes to a piece of furniture. Then, after being satisfied, they buy other “new” products. They are then caught in the trap of change, of the new technology that is referred to as “innovative”. Marketing and design make use of the arts of creating desires for products, followed by a need to buy. This is the case for devices referred to as “multi-functional”, which are supposedly capable of doing anything. The consumer-customer believes in it, as is the case of the coffee machine that also makes tea on the same principle of innovation. Making tea with a tea machine may be better than using k-cups!
Having desires is human. But some desires may be outsized and unreasonable, ending up being a source of problems for those who have them and those around them. Just because a consumer’s desire is fulfilled, this does not mean they will be satisfied. Finally, there is no doubt that happiness cannot be found in the act of simply buying something.
Millions of people only know comfort through what they see on television. This pleasure is forbidden. Desire is a state of mind, an existential and personal matter. Scarcity creates desire: the rarer the product is, the more it will be desired and the more people will feel they need one. Marketing often presents new products in advance, before they are even on sale. This stirs panic in the consumer who thinks, “there won’t be enough of them for everyone!”
The desire for products can be expressed in several ways:
- – the desire to possess more than everyone else, arising from a competitive mimetic desire between individuals;
- – the desire to look a certain way, to give off a satisfying self-image.
Pleasure also comes from the desire to have more things than other people. Desires come from “qualitative” satisfactions, which involve unconscious symbolism.
However, desires are not “needs” and therefore do not correspond to a lack of a necessary product. These are often utopian dreams propagated by advertising or by certain broadcasts, and these desires will never be satisfied. Desire is the intuition that something is missing, resulting from a deficiency or a lack. Referring tirelessly to new products, it is without limits. In order to live, it is always necessary to desire things. The object of desire is future enjoyment. The desire is seen as both contentment and as the origin of an annoyance.
The very fact of buying a product that was wanted for a long time compensates for something that was lacking. We think that this then makes us happier!
Desire responds to the search for a certain enjoyment. It is a pleasure to look without looking on the Internet, and especially to find, even without making a purchase. Desire should be distinguished from needs, which refer to a lack of something and which is useful to fill in. Desires are mimetic. Being more successful than one’s neighbors by owning a boat means being more important, and shows a certain desire to dominate.
Desires encourage and trigger needs – something which advertisers have clearly realized. The satisfying of people’s needs tends to be subservient to desires. Needs are limited, while desires are not. Someone may buy a product to satisfy a desire, even if it does not provide an essential service. Desires cannot be fully filled, thus they lead to endless dissatisfaction. Newness and beauty are not enough: it is necessary to possess “state-of-the-art” products that are ever more wonderful and ever more powerful. We buy to be envied and to impress.
For those who can accept the challenges of using a car, the novelty and pleasure might not ever wear off.
A certain amount of self-consumption can limit people’s desires and pass through the quest for utopian products, without depending on others. This is “the categorical imperative” of marketing ethics: “You are what you consume, express yourself by buying what I sell you, and I promise you the happiness that you deserve, which is well worth the price!”
An unsatisfied need responds to a feeling of lacking, to a discomfort. A satisfied need brings a feeling of well-being and pleasure, followed by a desire to prolong the satisfaction. The commercial society has a role in the “standardization of desire” through the values to which it refers.
Desire is an emotion: a desire is always more exquisite than the reality. To desire is to imagine the enjoyment of products, providing satisfaction and pleasure. Desires that are on the verge of being fulfilled induce enthusiasm relating to the idea of being able to be use the product. Desire is a pleasure in and of itself, by means of anticipation. It focuses more on what someone wants, and less on what is about to happen. Of course, the desired use does not always reflect the reality. However, not having desires represents a lack of zeal, vitality and enthusiasm.
Pleasure is first and foremost the satisfaction that comes with the requirement of a use, environment or aesthetic. The opposite of pleasure is displeasure, disappointment, dissatisfaction or annoyance.
Comfort is a pleasure that is both at a low amplitude level and is of short duration.
The product that presents the best usage qualities does not necessarily generate strong adhesion. Its advantages, and also disadvantages, lead to ambivalence regarding other competitors that possess more or less the same qualities.
The abundance of choices corresponds to a situation that is ambiguous. It is embarrassing to try to respect its decisions. Hesitating between several products or types of products creates a discomfort and distress. Not making a purchase, without making a complete assumption, is an indirect way to decide. It is not always based on feelings. The choice can be subjective, biased or unpredictable.
Supermarkets and the Internet have become the ultimate places for generating desire, mostly from the overabundance of choices.
Urges are somewhere between desire and jealousy. It allows products to be chosen as one wishes, by giving inspiration, but without seeking jealousy’s animosity.
Happiness is a group of emotions providing great satisfaction, joy and pleasure. Complete happiness is bliss.
Euphoria is a satisfaction with a profound intensity that triggers excitement and passion.
Ecstasy is a kind of intoxication; it is an extreme joy.
Frustration is a state close to dissatisfaction, but with an attitude of protest, a feeling of injustice, of being deprived of or by a product or a device, or irritation towards it for having faulty functions (e.g. a computer). Based on its origins and severity, it causes tension, dissatisfaction, annoyance and even anger.
Jealousy is a kind of anger. “This is exactly the product that I want: if I don’t buy it, it’s going to make me furious”. It is an emotion that is likely to give rise to “needs” and can stimulate the requirements in the context of advertising.
Joy is characterized by vitality, excitement and satisfaction related to a consumer’s product. It is felt over a rather short period.
Enjoyment is a great satisfaction, responding to what is expected of the functional services of a product.
Rapture is a joy that is very intense and exceeding expectations. It is like wonder, a surprising kind of pleasure, and involves the admiration of what seems to be exceptional or uncommon.
Regret is complaining after a bad purchase, leading to a lack of use or a difficulty in use, resulting in repairs or requiring it to be resold, thus causing discontent. Unlike a bad conscience or a feeling of guilt, regret is not followed by seeking to cancel the bad choices already made. Instead, it is accepted. It may be considered as a possible difference in assessment, due to things such as changes in lifestyle or habits. Regret allows people to better adapt to the requirements of use.
2.3. The image society and the virtual society
2.3.1. The image society
Making and selling good products is not enough: marketing and advertising must present an image of products and stores that appeal to consumers. The image of the product comes from the idea of its services, its use and its aesthetic. The hostesses who welcome people, beaming with commercial smiles, replace the more or less good image of the sellers, who in reality often appear to drag their feet. It has been announced that there will be robots that will be able to answer everything, but will never be “human” despite their appearance!
The society of images made to fascinate is a perfect tool for “brainwashing”. Consumers are essentially seekers of images, starting with the children: “if you are wise, you will create a good image for yourself”.
Consumers fixated on their screens are often deluded into mixing reality and its representation. Technicians lead us to the integration of virtual reality with physical reality. The “mobile” images and videos, coming ever closer to reality, increase interest in the images. Technological advances, particularly the Internet, make it easier to popularize beautiful images. What makes an object pleasing is its image.
With enormous financial means, the image of the product and its brand is also embellished by advertising, to create pleasure. Some companies spend a lot more money on their image than on the salaries of hundreds of thousands of employees!
The media, in order to give a truly modern image and a sense of quality to a good number of products, have gone so far as to take hold of the word “design”. The artificial creation of this new image of “product design”, a phrase which remains unintelligible, was robbed from the activity of design, as defined by the profession since 1970!
2.3.2. The virtual society
The virtual world leads customers to a world that is all too often incomprehensible.
Just a quick swipe of the finger across the screen is enough to gain access to images, music, games or pictures of friends. These new types of “toys” have replaced the television and are becoming the new cause of conflict between parents and children. They are becoming the cause of addiction1 to the virtual world. In this way, virtual toys lose their educational value. Excessive video game playing leads to addiction: the game is no longer made up of actions, of commands and controls, but of feelings and emotions. These addictions to the virtual world affect the mental, psychological and social development of children. They are forced into passivity. Children then become consumers of illusions, beginning with their first choices. In order to discern the world of usage and to develop their sensory-motor skills, they should spend more time handling objects, cleaning them, storing them, etc.
There is no interaction between a baby and the screen. A baby will smile at the screen, but the face they see on the screen will not answer. Thus, their emotions will disappear, and the baby will then go, without understanding, from a situation of “existing” to a situation of “not being found”. Children and adolescents in particular, but adults as well, do not always separate between the virtual world, where anything is possible, and the reality of daily life.
The world is still a beautiful and real place, even alongside our choices of products.
2.4. Qualities of life
2.4.1. Well-being with products
The heart of the economy should be well-being and the enjoyment of the consumers. But can we define well-being? Or at least the path that seems to lead to it?
Well-being touches on the notion of pleasure and the self-realization of one’s own balance. The assessment of well-being with products (objects) is a concern that is unheard-of, new and unexplored. It is promoted by the objectives of the industrial design: social relations, the relationship with the family and friends, or professional relationships, will also clearly play a major role. However, this approach needs to be complemented by a certain material well-being. The culture of choice and the use of the products, forgotten both by the economists and by sociologists, are quite relevant to well-being. We forget the concern of usagists: well-being (or unwell-being) is brought by the daily use of multiple objects or facilities. The well-being of each person is an art of living.
2.4.1.1. The objectives of well-being
The assessment of well-being should be of critical importance for the quality of life in the economy. It should not be focused on material living conditions or financial means. Low incomes do not necessarily lead to lower well-being.
2.4.1.2. What is quality of life?
“Quality of life” often only involves the perception of the aspects that are more or less important to life, for example, the qualities perceived in a person’s accommodation and belongings. The multi-faceted concept of quality of life is broader. It is confused with “well-being, health or life satisfaction”. Quality of life is still a vague notion that we must ultimately seek to define, humbly beginning by first looking at the qualities of use, environmental products and facilities.
The perception of someone’s quality of life is relative, and as with the qualities of a product, it is dependent on the economic environment and on users.
Quality of life is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as:
“The perception of an individual, of their place in existence, in the context of the culture and system of values in which they live, in relation with their objectives, expectations, standards and concerns. This is a broad conceptual field, a complex set of connections between the physical health of a person, that person’s psychological state, level of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs and relationship with the specific elements of their environment”2.
The WHO is also trying to put into place an international evaluation of the quality of life.
2.4.1.3. Factors of quality of life
Of course, quality of life is linked to access to medical care, culture, stress, security, leisure, social connections, financial possibilities and finally, dignity. But quality of life goes together with well-being, happiness, contentment, enjoyment, pleasure, inner peace, satisfaction, ecstasy, comfort, etc. These are aspects that are quite important in everyday life, particularly in the field of the use of the products.
2.4.1.4. Objectives of quality of life
This means living in environments that are motivating, intended for the development of people’s personalities. Quality of life is not only related to unemployment, aging, social exclusion and insecurity.
2.4.1.5. The degradation of quality of life
“Quality of life” is increasingly in doubt. Despite the huge leaps forward made by science and the miracles that this has allowed, some people’s quality of life seems to be declining. Many consumer-users are still unsatisfied. Despite the delicacies that some consumers may pay for, others are still waiting for the main course. Given an overall apathy, climate change, the damage to biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems eat into the people of the future’s quality of life a bit more each day.
The current indicators of well-being, which only aim to increase the GDP, rest on bases that have already become insufficient. It is harrowing to see the explosion in the number of cancers, heart attacks, allergies, obesity cases and mental disorders. The gross domestic product (GDP) is a very broad concept and one that, of course, leaves out an essential element: quality of life.
2.4.1.6. “Good products”
The stress caused by the difficulties with products, such as computer hardware, is synonymous with lower well-being. “Good” products may become the main source of wealth for a new economy based on the quality of life and well-being. Is it necessary to own a smartphone worth 1,000 euros, a curved UHD 4K TV screen or a pod coffee machine in order to maintain a good quality of life? By seeking to provide more comfort – or perhaps, idle time – through objects said to be “connected”, the body and the mind, without intelligence, risk only retaining a role in consuming entertainment.
Frequently, products seem to be too complicated or even dangerous, and are sometimes shunned and hated by consumer-users, such as those relating to digital technology. As compensation for the services they provide, the products tend to create economic or energy-related servitude; they tend to impose their form of use, and therefore condition our behaviors.
In any case, well-being does not simply manifest itself at the time of making the purchase, nor is it the accumulation of products. It requires greater reasoning in terms of services, not only in terms of products.
It is about designing objects with a high level of usage convenience, for which the technique used can be forgotten, especially for the elderly, but without invasive surveillance:
- – a walker for easy lifting and to keep one’s balance;
- – a medicine distributor, releasing the right medication at the right time;
- – “thirst sensors”, gathering the requirements for the hydration of the body;
- – sensors to analyze and indicate the rate of oxygenation of the blood, pressure and heart rate;
- – sensors to detect and communicate falls and ailments;
- – a lamp that automatically turns brighter the darker it gets outside, in order to counteract anxiety caused by darkness.
These easy-to-use products should be able to limit dependency.
We might say that the qualities of use of the objects are the major factors that influence one’s quality of life. However, this evaluation mainly depends on each user and their particular environments.
It might be products from Japan, and now China, which inspire us to innovate, with the aim of improving the quality of life.
The environmental quality that combines the objectives of respecting the environment and sustainable development leads to factors of a somewhat individual nature, like those involving quality of life. However, the lifespan of the products, constantly decreasing, leads to the depletion of resources and the accumulation of waste for a poorer quality of life.
2.4.1.7. Political concerns
The research done on the quality of life should be a priority for everyone. This should be the central objective of political parties that call themselves “green”. Sadly, the political world places more importance on defending purchasing power than on the quality of life. It also concerns itself more with the working conditions of employees than their ways of consumption.
Politicians should, for example, aim “to improve the quality of life for older people living at home and facilitating the daily life of the people around them”. Political concerns may diverge from the practical daily experiences of consumers. For politicians, the major infrastructure projects: trains, hospitals, highways, museums, etc., are what determine the well-being of almost everyone – not to mention their electoral success.
2.4.1.8. Advertising
By diverting people’s attention, advertising evades the real issues related to the quality of life. We need to break away from the state of mind of those who only want us to think about purchases and consumption from an economic point of view.
2.4.1.9. The consumer society/the economic society
As is the case most of the time in economic science, priority is given to information that is objective, and therefore quantitative and easily measurable. For economists, well-being and quality of life, taken together, are primarily related to financial constraints: to be able to buy furniture and clothes, to own a car, pay bills, to get medical care, etc.
Well-being is the main concern of the buyers aspiring to “eco-consumption”.
While the “economic happiness” of users may be the goal, it is seen through a lens that distorts reality. The notion of progress cannot be summarized by economic growth. Consumption gives a rather fleeting illusion of well-being.
The economy of well-being is a branch of the economy that only studies material well-being. The economists believe that, for work provided in the same way, well-being increases as long as there is an increase in consumption or an increase in leisure time!
To satisfy the economic society that is not going well runs, consumers hope to be able to consume even more, even though this will not make them happier.
“The consumer society has favored owning, at the expense of being”.
Well-being also now depends on the repairing or preservation of the environment, including water quality, air pollution, noise and the quality of public spaces.
This brings us to the human development index (HDI)3. Its objective is to try to make up for the failure of the GDP. In order to better take into account the different types of development, it is a mixed indicator. It ranks countries according to their qualitative development, and not only on economic development. It focuses on life expectancy, education and living conditions.
However, there is a lack of a real definition of progress. It would certainly be necessary, from time to time, to observe the conditions of life. The objective of perpetual GDP growth can only lead to unfulfilled desires. Instead, the goal must be to move towards “real” progress, that is, towards a better quality of life and well-being. We can expect that, one day, the quality of life assessment will become an obsession, especially for economists and policymakers.
Bhutan4 has developed the concept of gross national happiness (GNH). It has thus refused to fall prey to the dictates of GDP and economic growth for overall growth.
The global crises we are facing should compel us to reconsider our methods of consumption. The objective should not be only, as in medicine, the prolongation of life expectancy, but to improve the comfort of living for the people wishing to age well.
The trends of consumer society focus more on the style-related desires of consumers. It is more perverted and distorted in the way it is related to happiness. The quest for well-being is a task that is even harder to fulfill than that of accumulating products.
Consumerists feel afflicted if they are unable to buy a certain item. And even after they succeed, they remain unsatisfied and annoyed. Consuming, and continuing to consume, is not a good way to achieve happiness or pleasure. The pleasure obtained from the purchase of a product is fleeting, in that it can then lead to a lasting feeling of dissatisfaction.
Happiness is made of emotions from joy and pleasure, but is often limited to acts of choice and purchase.
Some non-consumers feel delighted to possess nothing, avoiding the pitfalls of economic life. And if comfort is a service that is indisputable, it is not intended to bring happiness.
The smallest bits of happiness are the most rewarding: listening to good music, taking a shower, touching wood furniture, etc. They are very accessible, particularly when it comes to certain products that are “well-chosen”.
We do not need that much to be happy, and happiness is often independent of the price we pay for things. It is the benefit that people get from products of the highest quality.
For some, the biggest pleasure comes from owning items like yachts or Ferraris. But for the layperson, that pleasure can rarely be reached. If you wait for it or look for it, you risk becoming unhappy, which is unfortunate.
People who win the lottery only experience a few months of bliss, with their new big house, their sports car and their material well-being. Usually, they come back down quickly enough to their way of life and earlier level of happiness, because they do not feel happier.
A source of material happiness or well-being that is still permanent and which then appears as normal always ends up being frustrating. We get used to our own level of happiness and we forget the origin and the reason for this happiness. Consumers have a tendency to focus on what they don’t have, rather than what they do. It is a hedonistic habit. Emotions, pleasure and satisfaction will fade into comfort.
Surviving the whims of nature, happiness in traditional societies is never completely guaranteed. Therefore, consumers end up finding deep and lasting happiness from little things.
With a glut of profusion and luxury, we are beginning to resemble fussy, bratty children. We do not realize our luck and we keep demanding more and more. This can cause us to worry, to become stressed with things like new technologies. Our lives can sometimes become a living hell, despite such powerful computer tools such as texts, emails, phones, tweets, etc. are constantly attracting our attention. We become irritated if we do not have something that one of our friends has just bought. The race to constantly consume products does not contribute to our happiness! There will always be someone around who seems to have everything, who we are jealous of.
What makes us happy is not money, nor is it success, but building closer, friendlier relations and perhaps sharing products together. Good relations with neighbors and our families keep us happy. Modernity and the economic system are not helping in this regard. We feel we must always own more and more stuff.
We can spend the whole day in front of a television or computer screen, without ever leaving home. The “virtual friends” that new technologies offer us may not be supportive. They can even make us fall into the likely trap of social networks. We would be better off removing the clutter of useless items and give up on the accumulation of unnecessary products to avoid complications. There is no need to “always have more stuff” to be happy.
We should not obsess in our jealousy. We should resist the stimuli of advertising. Appreciating what you have is the best cure for the demands of the market.
2.4.2. Ways of life
A way of life is the way a person lives and consumes. It is a qualitative concept, one that involves reasoning and thinking clearly before making a purchase, a good choice or a compromise between different products. It involves making good use of one’s purchasing power. A “usagist” consumer will refuse to have a way of life that places technical and commercial things above all else.
This means rejecting and not considering most of the information currently made available, which is generally rather misleading. All behaviors and ways of life are targets of marketing. The commercial world seeks to exploit people’s desires to consume. The consumer society, the mass culture, the culture of following the largest group and the homogenization of desires make our lifestyles and our buying behaviors the same. Making the right choice allows consumers to individualize their way of life. Systems of value have an increasing influence on the way people consume. Concerns about global warming and sustainable development, the desire to reduce energy consumption, the fear of attacks and the progression of our families change our ways of life. Maintaining products to lengthen their usable life, fixing them or having them repaired rather than buying new ones, giving them away or selling them, buying them used or borrowing them, rather than throwing them away, are all ways to refuse hyperconsumption. It is a way of life.
Having access to the essential phase of use can advantageously replace that of simply possessing products. With Velib’ and Autolib’ (programs to share bikes and cars), transportation modes have changed. Losing a telephone can cause our way of life to be “deactivated”. We become anxious and nervous because we can no longer contact or be contacted, listen to music or keep taking selfies.
The old lifestyle of the Chinese, not being able to go to the mass on Sunday, led them in the malls, even almost empty. Technical progress is changing the lifestyles of not just young people but some adults. The stealthy pace and the change brought about by new technologies and globalization are the cause of a change in people’s ways of life.
Our ways of life, which may be quite spectacular for some, should not make us believe in unlimited growth. Enthusiasts hope to achieve a way of life that is ever more radiant, to be comfortable in their own skin, with greater awareness, more freedom and accessible pleasures.
We must not forget that there are very significant contrasts between ways of life around the world.
2.4.2.1. Examples of ways of life looking at uses of refrigerators
The storage of food or consumable products is linked to shopping practices, the act of harvesting for oneself and with an occasional “arrival” (frequency, quantity, shelf life, etc.). The storage of containers, plates or sealed containers is linked to culinary practices, the management of food reserves and leftovers, or during times when festivities occur. For its part, the bailing in the content of the device is related to the lifestyle and the eating habits of the residents, the experience of the people running the kitchens or the occurrence of unforeseen circumstances. Finally, periodic cleaning is greatly affected by the cyclical exhaustion of reserves, the availability of an alternative refrigeration unit, or the cold weather of winter or the need to fix a misguided occurrence.
These are new ways of life that we call modernity. Phones, tablets and other computer terminals confine their users to their own universe. They are more comfortable than in the real world.
Essential times together like meals decline, being replaced by SMS, the TV, tablets, video games and other similar devices. Today, it is a race to instantly receive messages. It is a feeling of not having a moment of rest.
New products are sold, which regularly whip up the winds of change. They are often not very useful, but “kind of fun”. Sometimes, there are even products that are sold that are “the same but look different”, with new packaging or under a different trademark.
Marketing targets groups of consumers according to their age, sex, purchasing power and even religion. These are new ways of behaving when choosing and buying. Social time disappears, instead replaced by an economic logic that gives priority to having over being.
2.4.3. Lifestyles
Lifestyles are the forms people have for living their lives, characterized by criteria such as a person’s behaviors, opinions and values. Lifestyles are related to the social influence, tastes, culture and the personality of the consumer. They are solidified through differentiations.
The aesthetics of products are very closely related to lifestyles.
The analysis of lifestyles (“socio-styles”) has experienced a boom, as a result of the limits of the segmentation based on socio-professional categories, consumers having different professional and social characteristics in common. Socio-styles were used to guide advertising at the time when the usual variables (age, profession, income, place of residence, etc.) seemed, due to the rapid transformations of the society, to be losing their relevance. The “socio-styles” did not result directly and exclusively from social positioning. It was an agreement between social constraints, feelings and personal ideas.
To a certain extent, women and men have seen their styles become more similar. For example, consumption has become less gender-dependent in the case of clothes, crafts, personal care and computers.
Avant-gardists and futurists are the ones who progressively shift their lifestyles. However, every consumer has become the agent of change for their own lifestyle, depending on whether they are conservative, conformist, narrow-minded, or whether they are proud and looking to show off. There are even finer ways to spend money and to distinguish oneself according to an inverted logic: “the richer someone is, the less that person has”.
For over a hundred years, an American brand of motorcycles it is a synonym of freedom, serenity and beautiful getaways. This mark is legendary. He generated enthusiasm and a fanatical base. Far more than a motorcycle is a lifestyle, with its own accessories and clothing
2.4.4. Standards of living
This is “the gross disposable income of a household divided by the number of units of consumption”. The income per capita has increased over the past 40 years5.
The (material) living standards have no relationship with the quality of life, which integrates subjective factors related to human life, including social ones. Standards of living involve “having” property, while the quality of life is more a reference to “being”. A low standard of living is not necessarily synonymous with inconvenience. Budgetary limitations and low income do not necessarily lead to a poorer quality of life.
Living standards are an economical concept, while the quality of life has more to do with human elements. The indicators of standard of living are “more objective” than those of the quality of life, lifestyles and ways of life, because they are more easily measurable, but make no contribution to the assessment of well-being. There are in fact many ways to choose and buy things for people with similar living standards. Therefore, differences in well-being are not limited to differences in income. Nevertheless, budgetary limits and low incomes are often associated with lower satisfaction. A second house, a sports car and expensive luxury products are visible signs of a certain standard of living.
The ambition of some young people is to achieve as high a living standard as quickly as possible, without too much trouble. People work to be able to consume, but what is really needed is to make more thoughtful choices, with good information, to get the best out of one’s own living standards.
2.4.5. Over-consumption
Technological progress and the overproduction of products are the essential causes of environmental problems. The market system has not shown much concern regarding the over-consumption of raw materials. In order to take in more money, it must absorb over-consumption, either through pleasure, social pressure or advertising. Marketing is the generator of over-consumption, based on the economic system.
Over-consumption is the unlimited accumulation of products, gadgets, junk, etc. It takes up a large part of people’s free time: sales, private sales, trade events, the Internet, and so on. All consumers are saturated with new needs, trapped in a spiral of over-consumption, in a vicious circle. This leads to frustration that makes people naïve.
The demands for ever increasing purchasing power, although very often justified, still prevent us from questioning the consumer society.
Decreasing growth does not mean “belt tightening”, but inventing a new way of life.
Consuming more and more, going faster and faster, and farther, cannot allow us to be thrown us into an unreasonable and deviant downward spiral. Our leisure time is dedicated to buying and consuming more stuff. We must not believe that this will make us more cultivated. The idea of progress is too limited to perfecting technology and does not include the concept of well-being or environmental factors.
Beliefs in the emergence of new technologies, such as objects connected to the Internet, are one of the latest traps of progress. Consumers must be able to free themselves from this overabundance, instead of obsessing over what they lack and lusting after technological innovations.
To develop for the sake of developing, to consume for the sake of consuming, will never bring any real happiness. Objects purchased in excessive quantities become superfluous objects, like Christmas presents that are unnecessary and that end up being resold.
The act of consumption is not necessarily in our nature or essence. We are conditioned by the rite of consumption.
“Disposable consumables” are products that wear out, break, are not repaired and must be replaced. Consumers are constantly frustrated, constantly seeking abundance and wealth, without ever having enough. The urban 4 × 4 is a perfect symbol of over-consumption.
The market system encourages us to stock up of devices, but at the same time encourages us to not use a lot of it. Many products are holed up in closets. Cars sit waiting in the streets. The “point of satiation” is often reached through an invasion of products that are more or less necessary. In this way, renting and collective buying are alternatives to personal purchases. The desire to have more may be more of the cause of over-consumption, since the accumulation of products no longer seems to be an adequate source of pleasure.
Producing more resilient products increases their cost, but also, and more importantly, it increases their lifespan. The inner workings at the core of over-consumption are instead the desires that are generated from a frustration with the overwhelming offer on the market.
If the unit price is low, the consumer will tend to buy more (the principle of a promotion: “4 for the price of 3…”). Conversely, if the price is higher than expected, the consumer will limit the amount they purchase. Some media outlets play around with (false) over-consumption:
The consumption of appliances on standby mode is said to reach an average of 65–100 watts, depending on the size of families6. On the scale of a country like France, this would therefore come out to 2 billion euros! That is a power level equivalent to two nuclear reactors. The media has had a field day with this.
However, it needs to be pointed out that this comes from a “technical” definition of standby mode, a disinforming data point repeated by some in the media, that is, the measurement of everything that stays on overnight, especially for reasons of safety, security or comfort: refrigerators, freezers, ventilation, TV sets on standby, Internet routers, telephone chargers, etc.