5 ms·
"...the move from an asset-heavy lifestyle to an asset-light existence" I often wondered how much of an impact the digital marketplace was having on the consum
by andrewfelix 14y ago
"...the move from an asset-heavy lifestyle to an asset-light existence"
I often wondered how much of an impact the digital marketplace was having on the consumption of physical things. Unfortunately it seems to be minuscule.
The top industries in terms of sales and profits are still far and away dominated by companies that sell physical things. Companies like Walmart, ExxonMobil, Intel and Apple. There are exceptions such as Microsoft. But software sales tend to be tied to the sale of devices which become redundant faster and faster.
I would argue that we are acquiring more possessions as we continuously seek better ways to enjoy the internet and digital stuff(games, music etc). Apple is a case in point; Sales of iPad's and iPhones continue to grow.
- Evbn 14y agoCompare an iPad to the 10 cubic feet of games and 10 chic feet of books it replaces. Compare your TF2 hat collection to a real closet full of hats. Compare your blog/myspace background to your front lawn.
- andrewfelix 14y agoYour anecdote doesn't escape the fact that we are consuming more and more physical things (re-read the OP). Also, real books don't have a 12 month upgrade cycle.
- pyre 14y agoAre people really upgrading their Kindle or Nook every 12 months?
- andrewfelix 14y agoSales growth would suggest a lot of people are, or at least purchasing another device. iPad, Kindle and Nook sales are all up.
- daeken 14y agoI buy every new Kindle that comes out; same with my phones and most of my other devices. But I'm far and away an outlier, even within gadget geek circles. New customers are who drive the sales numbers, by and large, not people like me.
- thedrbrian 14y agoNeither do ebooks.
- andrewfelix 14y ago"Compare an iPad..."
- mc32 14y agoI don't know either, but the sharing aspect, in other words the effective use rate of physical goods, that that is going up, can only be a good thing. Optimization of utilization, I think, is good. It means that people don't necessarily have to own a whole item, but a fraction of one. That lessens impact on the environment and also allows us to dedicate resources to other things we find important. Of course, it's not a perfect model, as evidenced by 'time share' vacation homes (i.e. there are peak demand times) but it gets better use out of things than otherwise.