So, maybe it's just me, but it's not just about the object but rather the WHOLE experience of the object. I'm sure many of you feel the same.
So, I know how cool it is to walk around with my whole life at my fingertip-literally, on my telephone (which by the way should be called something other than a telephone because it does more than just that...), I can listen to my whole music catalogue WHENEVER I want, but that doesn't compare to this:
walking into a record store, exchanging hard-earned cash with a person for a brand new record, taking it home, opening it to admire the artwork, checking the track listing, smelling the crisp sleeves with fresh vinyl, placing side 1 on the turntable and setting the needle to hear that warm, crackly sound of amplified vibrations, the speakers turned all the way up so that I can hear it from my bedroom if I want to (which by the way isn't very far if you've seen my apartment).
My iphone cannot do that.
And maybe I'm just growing old and nostalgic for the things that remind me of youth...I do not know, but what I do know is that it isn't just these songs by these artists I enjoy. In fact, I don't think I could enjoy it as much if it didn't have the whole experience to go along with it.
I guess what I'm getting at here is that it's this PERSONAL experience that we're losing from downloading from iTunes, or whatever we're downloading from. You don't have to interact with ANYONE to access that music. In fact, we don't even have to touch it. We just click on a few links and it magically shows up almost instantly on our screen for us to listen to endlessly...so weird.
But it doesn't end here. Everything I love, I love because of the interaction I have with it: my favorite places to eat are my favorite not just for the food but also for the ambiance, the service, the crowd...I haven't given into a kindle because I love the smell of books, the feel of flipping pages, the cover art, using random objects on hand to mark my spot, going to the library....I buy things based on the package, partially based on my education in design, which came from my exposure to appreciating objects for their aesthetic qualities, as my mom used to sew a lot, which meant that I of course developed that interest...
My point here is that it's a much bigger picture here: USER EXPERIENCE.
So what if I like all these records, or have them. They're no good collecting dust on the shelf; kinda like a great pair of Chuck's- they're much better after a coupla months trekking across town so they fit to the shape of your foot....
So, this moment I had last night that I just shared with you wasn't about me being nostalgic. I embrace change and modern technology, I own an iphone for Pete's sake!
But to let it replace experiences like listening to records, the best technology couldn't even come close...
