This is very true, when I moved back from Japan it took me 3 months to accept that I would have to use a Canadian mobile phone. No electronic wallet, no tv on the phone, archaic texting… i could go on. nice article Naumi!

It’s interesting to me how we have grown accustomed to the sluggish pace of technological developments. Digital camera resolution is a perfect example.

Perhaps what we need to spur earlier adoption in this country is greater exposure to other countries like Japan and how advanced they are in comparison to us. That would likely cause a bit of clamoring amongst the public, hopefully persuading companies to import more “advanced” electronics.

I find it interesting that we complain at the pace of technological advancement, yet most of the gadgets referenced do nothing to enhance our standard of living.

In fact I’d argue that they lower it.

For instance why would I pay for the latest HD LCD tv when it’s going to quadruple my cable bill. Then with that fancy new screen I need to get a gaming device, enhance the streaming to all my connected gadgetry which are all clamoring for monthly payments.

It’s interesting that the easiest way to increase my cashflow is by eliminating my ‘need’ of these pesky material devices that pressure me to find yet an even better paying job. Heck it’s the best taxfree pay raise going.

It all feels like pointless cycle, kind of like chasing my own tail.

Hey Naumi,

Makes perfect sense…but I find myself defending our Luddite habits – not as anti-technologists, but as frugal spenders. The reason both of us have 4-year-old PCs is that we don’t want to part with the money to gain the incremental benefit.

Why is it that we as a culture prefer to minimize our expenditures rather than stay current with technology? Perhaps more interestingly, what about these specific Asian cultures (South Korean, Singapore, Japan) leads Asian consumers to choose differently?

Write on, friend!
Vince

Good points Vince and Graham – there’s certainly an opportunity cost related to buying technology. There’s a lot of things I could do with $1,000 instead of buying a flat panel LCD TV (like for example, renting a houseboat for a weekend with some friends).

I guess the point is, our culture simply doesn’t place the same value in the incremental value of technology that other cultures do. That, and in many cases the cost of our technology (i.e. the higher cost of mobile in NA versus other countries), forces us to make the trade-off.

Japanese tend to worry a lot about the neighbour having a bigger TV than they do. Westerners are more interested in individual cost/benefit considerations. My TV is old and small but good enough.

[...] such as a population’s affluence, infrastructure availability, domestic cost of technology, and cultural tendencies all factor into adoption rates as well.� Still, I think it’s a neat macro way to think about the [...]

Share you thoughts and feelings regarding Canadian technology. Both federal and provincial governments as well as businesses are pre-Luddite. RC

I do not replace anyhting until it is broken. And, sometimes even when it’s broken I will duct tape it and use it until it almost disintegrates hahaha. I’d rather invest my money in something I would enjoy better like… gas in my car so I can go hit the surf at the beautiful beaches wherever I find myself in the world

Technology sucks because it sucks you in to believing in it. It is not real. The outside environment is real. The air is real, the water, the wind the sunshine, not the digital bullshit gigabit crap that fails fails and fails and in the end does nothing but waste everyones’ precious time on the planet. Food is still food it is not digital. Flying is not digital. Driving is not digital. Just try to get a digital camera fixed. Film outlasts digital media forever. I am a photographer who makes a living digitally but used to make it analog. Good Guitar player use analog amps. This is why it was so easy to take down the twin towers. Technology gets in its own way and simple means prevail. Toilet paper is not digital, never will be. I fucking hate digital and technology. I have a old corvette all analog, threw away all the digital crap. Coffins are not digital. Only our images are digital and as such replace reality with a reasonable facsimile thereof. LSD is not digital.

Technology stinks. When a piece of technology ceases to stink, people stop calling it ‘technology’.

This is why complicated consumer devices that need constant care and feeding are called ‘technology’, but plain old telephones aren’t. Plain old telephones were once super-advanced and unreliable. Now they just work, and if they don’t work, then they’re broken. Not misconfigured… not incompatible… just broken.

This is why it’s often best to wait until people stop calling a thing ‘technology’ before adopting it.

Luckily, for some people (like me), computers are reaching this level. For what I use my computer for, a 6 year old one works as well as a brand new one. The only reason I got rid of my 6 year old computer last year was because my mother wanted it.

[...] financial services players. So what makes them want such services? This links back to Naumi’s recent post on why North American consumers seem to demand less than their East Asian bretheren. Perhaps [...]

I hate technology! Ok, maybe that’s a bit too strong…but we really are getting a bit out of control. The internet is amazing however, cell phones which can do everything except cook you dinner…who cares!!! I thought a phone was for making a phone call not for taking pictures of your ass and sending them to 20 of your “closest” friends. I guess I’m stuck in the wrong generation…I prefer hikes, poetry, conversations with a real human being and swimming in the ocean…anyone else??

I’m afraid I agree with you. I don’t have the interest to page through 500 million blogs. I don’t want 80 features on my phone, because I don’t want the bother of learning to use them. What can I say?