Yes, if you have more money you don't need as many things. But in the long term I think that minimalism is going to recede as a social indicator. The reason wh

Yes, if you have more money you don't need as many things. But in the long term I think that minimalism is going to recede as a social indicator. The reason why has been sneaking up on us for a while: The digital world is becoming more encumbered. People are realizing that they don't have much control over their data and their 'purchased' media. Services disappear regularly along with what we've invested in them. What's the alternative? Well, currently, there is more freedom in the physical space, and people are slowly realizing that physicality has an upside. I think we're due for a `Neo-Materialist' movement. Maker Culture is growing and moving beyond bohemian. I have friends with cluttered living spaces and in most cases it is not due to not having enough money to have fewer things. It is just a choice away from the Eastern-esque Steve Jobs-ian "let's have fewer things" aesthetic. It's becoming more common to have a set of maker and made things that you love and show, and to treat living space as workspace. Buzz around 3D printing may accelerate the trend. Culturally, I'm not sure that this will completely overtake design minimalism, but it has a decent chance.