iPhone 14 Release Madness
Rivaa discusses the ramifications of a capitalist and consumer world.
My trip to London last weekend was bound to be stressful, what with the funeral preparations and generations of Brits lining up to pay their final respects to the Queen. However, London wasn’t as somber as I predicted given that the lines outside the Apple Store were just as abundant. Filled with stressed, impatient tech fanatics waiting for the iPhone 14.
“Yes, I bought the iPhone 14 lol,” a fellow St Andrews student jokingly texted me, “what can I say, I love capitalism!”
Interestingly, despite purporting little to no new features, apart from the usual vague camera and screen improvements, the iPhone 14 is doing prosperously on the market; wait times for a new phone are 4-6 weeks. Moreover, Apple’s selling of both the iPhone 14 alongside the iPhone 14 pro, a device so large I’m not sure it even still counts as a phone, has only bolstered these rapid-fire purchases.
So, why, at a time of national tension, when inflation is permeating our supermarkets and the world is in general disarray after the Queen’s passing, are people still so desperate for the new iPhone? Despite the public 2020 lawsuit posed against Apple that accused them of purposely decaying the battery life of their older phones, an accusation they actually admitted to, consumers are still playing into Apple’s capitalistic hands, purchasing every new item they produce, despite the guarantee of their item’s eventual decay.
The chain of capitalism and brand-dependency fostered by Apple isn’t unique to them; companies ranging from shoe stores to watch and jewelry lines are also making bank out of returning customers, up to purchase a slightly different version of what they previously bought.
2021 research points to retail therapy as being very much a thing that exists; the dopamine hit we receive when purchasing a new item, no matter how useless or repetitive our purchase is, alleviates symptoms of low mood and depression, as stated by DNP psychiatric mental health nurse Beth Gabriel.
The DSM-5 even includes an entry on compulsive shopping, called oniomania and defined as an unmanageable urge to buy new items. The overwhelming sadness and lassitude that permeates the global sphere, a universal sense of depression, can be pointed to as a solid reason for the spike in consumer culture and the maintenance of the chain of capitalism upheld by companies like Apple.
Regardless, the iPhone 14, like many other expensive products, are flying off the shelves not just in London but across the globe with fervour. Even the Queen’s funeral wasn’t enough to detain the consumers for a second, despite the fact that buses, tubes, taxis as well as other necessary services like hospitals and pharmacies were closed during my weekend in London, out of respect for the queen. This is particularly surprising in light of the devaluation of the pound; the pound has plunged to the lowest value it has had since 1971, perhaps prompting an even more rowdy perusal of consumer culture.
In short… Consumer culture is ruining us and we are all, myself and the rest of the St Andrews community included, its pawns. Hopefully a future focus on benefiting global mental health, so we have other options than ‘retail therapy’ to turn to when we’re down, will put an end to this cruel consumer culture but, honestly, I doubt it.
It’s really a great and useful piece of information. I am glad that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.|
https://www.pinterest.com/thailandtravel2/
Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any recommendations?
Hello to all, the contents existing at this site are in fact awesome for people knowledge, well, keep up the good work fellows.|
Attractive part of content. I just stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to assert that I get actually loved account your blog posts. Anyway I will be subscribing for your augment and even I success you get entry to constantly fast.|
methylprednisolone pill – claritin pills azelastine 10 ml us
order micronase 2.5mg online cheap – micronase 5mg price forxiga 10mg us
Hi everybody, here every person is sharing these kinds of know-how, so it’s pleasant to read this weblog, and I used to pay a quick visit this webpage all the time.|
After exploring a number of the blog posts on your blog, I truly like your way of writing a blog. I book marked it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my website too and tell me how you feel.|
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that will make the largest changes. Thanks for sharing!|
Right here is the right site for anybody who hopes to find out about this topic. You understand so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a topic that has been discussed for a long time. Excellent stuff, just excellent!|
Heya i’m for the primary time here. I found this board and I in finding It really useful & it helped me out much. I’m hoping to offer something again and aid others such as you aided me.|
Thanks to my father who told me regarding this webpage, this web site is truly remarkable.|
Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed! Very useful info particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such information much. I was seeking this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and good luck.|
I don’t know whether it’s just me or if everyone else experiencing problems with your website. It seems like some of the text within your content are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too? This could be a issue with my internet browser because I’ve had this happen previously. Thanks|
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!|
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your weblog. Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility problems? A small number of my blog audience have complained about my website not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any solutions to help fix this problem?|
You’re so cool! I don’t believe I have read something like that before. So nice to discover someone with some unique thoughts on this topic. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is something that’s needed on the web, someone with a little originality!|
Excellent blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Bless you!
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly. I am quite certain I will learn a lot of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!|