Technology elitism

[LDAsh]

I was on the subway the other day on my way to a university tutorial and I was brushing up on some key points from my materials using my NintendoDS with Moonshell to read some text files. I still find this a quicker and easier way of getting text on a handheld without any fuss and without relying on Wifi AP everywhere I go.

This guy is standing opposite me with some Apple product and he takes one look at my DS, looks down, grimaces and goes "pfffFfFfFffft!" without even seeing what was on the screen or what I was doing. He then strikes a pose and holds his iPod out prominently, waving it around in front of everyone and nearly hit this old timer next to him in the face with it. It was really disturbing.

I tried to tolerate this and pity the fool, because it's not the first time this has happened but then I caught a glimpse of what he was doing with it. A 'match the same 3 coloured blocks' game, likely a free demo version that came installed on it. I was astonished. If he's going to act like such a turd the least he could have been doing is checking his stock values or browsing Tuscan villas for sale, but no, he's proving he can match 3 of the same colour like some kindergarten toddler can. All I'm doing is reading academic text like a loser while this George Jetson wannabe is blasting through hyperspace into the distant future and putting his intellect on display by matching up colours to beat a high score. I've encountered countless games like this (on the same DS no less) and each time spent about a maximum of 5 seconds with them. These days most of what I do is compose XMs with Nitrotracker and "do reading" with Moonshell.

It seems people think they can just spend more money than you and it doesn't matter what they do with the thing - THEY ARE BETTER THAN YOU and if you happen to not know this little fact then they're more than happy to make a bigger and bigger and bigger deal of it until it causes physical harm to innocent bystanders. It doesn't matter if you create original high-poly models on your 5 year-old desktop PC, someone is always going to have daddy's credit card handy to buy some octo-core monster to screw around with Makehuman or Daz3D for half an hour and spin around to say "loooook what I maaade" like some granny making birthday cards using clipart.

Anyway, got a similar story? This seems to be a common modern social phenomenon as I've seen it happen to others plenty of times too. I'm sure you all have similar stories. Let's face it, these days the moment you buy something, 5 minutes later something more expensive and a tiiiiny little bit bigger and fraction of a crumb more powerful will be placed on the shelf for someone else to buy, and when they do - THEY ARE BETTER THAN YOU!!!

I'm especially interested in cases where delusions of technological superiority has led to a drunken bloody fistfight, if there are any Australians here?

(and what this mentality leads to):-

 

[DS1]

I would have whipped my Wonderswan Color at his head.

 

[BORTZ]

AAAAND this is why we have a blogs section

 

[p1ngpong]

I was on the subway the other day on my way to a university tutorial and I was brushing up on some key points from my materials using my NintendoDS with Moonshell to read some text files. I still find this a quicker and easier way of getting text on a handheld without any fuss and without relying on Wifi AP everywhere I go.

This guy is standing opposite me with some Apple product and he takes one look at my DS, looks down, grimaces and goes "pfffFfFfFffft!" without even seeing what was on the screen or what I was doing. He then strikes a pose and holds his iPod out prominently, waving it around in front of everyone and nearly hit this old timer next to him in the face with it. It was really disturbing.

If I was on that same train carriage I would hate you both equally and pray for a derailment catastrophe to occur so I wouldn't have to be exposed to this stereo fail any longer.

 

[LDAsh]

Wow, don't dare to "mind your own business" around p1ngpong, he'll bite your balls off! I didn't know reading on the subway was classified as "fail".

 

[Chary]

I would've smashed that guy's iPhone into his pretentious face. I know people just like that guy, and trust me, they're not good people.

 

[Dork]

At least you have the games.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Technology elitism isn't a huge problem where I'm from, thankfully. It was somewhat a problem in high school with people I knew in general basically believing that if you didn't have Apple products, you were doing something wrong. Coming to college, this isn't such a big issue anymore, since there are people of far more varying social classes than in high school, where most people came from similar areas as far as income dispersal is concerned.

When it comes to MP3 players of any sort though, some people are absolutely confounded by the idea that you can buy something absolutely tiny that can hold twice as much music as even the newest iPods with the largest storage anymore (barring the classics that held 120GB+). It's frowned upon that you don't have an Apple product, but you can't help but laugh a little when ignorance is so rampant that say, the idea of a Sandisk MP3 player is positively foreign. The market has been so over saturated by the iPod name that most people are coming to a point where it's one of the few names they actually know.

This boils down to how Apple products are sold. They're sold at such inflated prices that you are either ignorant in buying one because you believe "it costs more so of course it's better", or you legitimately need one for what you do (which so few people who buy a Mac actually do). Most people anymore simply have an iPhone because Apple makes them so they must be good. I mean, I know people who use their iPhone to do nothing more than make the occasional phone call and text. You can't tell me that person needs an iPhone and the expensive plan that comes with it to do that. You also can't tell me that a person who almost exclusively uses their computer to browse Tumblr, Facebook, and Youtube while writing a paper every now and again needed a $2000 Mac laptop to do it. Functionality doesn't matter. Cons don't matter. I doubt most would care if the iPhone didn't even make phone calls, or if an Apple laptop didn't come with a decent battery. It's just the idea that it's made by Apple, so it's expensive, which means it's better than whatever shit you might have. It's the idea that a successful person will have an iProduct.

Essentially, blame Apple. It actually is their fault for feeding on the stupid consumer so readily for so long.

 

[The Milkman]

AAAAND this is why we have a blogs section

Man, Bortz, blogs are like, so 2012. Its all about posting in the Off-Topic section (also he is trying to make conversation, not just doing all the crying people usually do in blogs. )

Anyway, this kind of elitism is just another part of american culture, I dont want to talk shit about other countries and make people mad , its the same reason why people go around buying shirts that are 80 bucks and watches that cost also much as cars. Media teaches us to be uncomfortable with our image towards other people, therefore we try to buy other things to cover up who we are and conform, its nothing really new, and its the basis behind almost any event in history where one race, people, or place has been deemed 'unworthy' or 'less than'.

Its basic human instinct to want to be the best, nature shows us it gets all the bitches and makes it so you can go on making more 'best' people. Its a good reason why were even able to talk about this kind of thing in the first place.

Back on track, technological elitism stems from improving our image, thats why things that have smooth or elegant desgins tend to sell more. It makes people think your an elegant person, you can see it in almost anything made in the last decade or so.

Hell, the DS you had, its a Lite isnt it? Its the same reason people choose DS Lites or I's over Phats or PSPs. Its thinner, slick and much better looking then the ergonomic phatness that is the PSP 2000. This guy you talk about bought an iPhone for 2 of 3 reasons, 1) He saw his friends with it and wanted to belong, 2) It was thin and shiney, 3) He would rather a easy and consistent interface then a rough, slightly complex, yet malleable one. So then, he goes on the bus, and sees you playing on a DS, grown adult and everything, his mind is thinking "This guy clearly is below me, hes using a childs toy" and then he does a stupid reaction.

TL;DR Its something people have always done, its part of people being people. Just give them an awkward glance and walk away.

EDIT: Nathan is right, it also has a good bit to do with price, people usually see it cost more and think its better. 50s logic.

 

[The Milkman]

Wow, don't dare to "mind your own business" around p1ngpong, he'll bite your balls off! I didn't know reading on the subway was classified as "fail".

Hes joking.

 

[RodrigoDavy]

AAAAND this is why we have a blogs section

To be fair, he's using his personal experience to make an introduction to the debate. And so many member have been doing the same thing lately...

Back on topoic, here this kind of elitism is lower than first-world countries, since technological stuff costs multiple times more here. Smart people who have expensive stuff are better not showing off since they could be robbed. In the city where I study, the police recommended students to not walk at night wearing earphones, since thieves target this kind of people.

Of course, there will always be people who want to show their expensive/imported clothes, expensive sunglasses or their computer priced smartphones. Not all of them feel better than the others because of that though, I usually tend to keep myself away from the people who do. To be honest, I am sure many people see me as a spoiled rich kid since I've got expensive stuff like a laptop, a 3DS, the fact that I studied at private school, the fact that I can speak English and I use words in my own language that some people consider complicated.

I don't brag about any of those things, but sometimes people envy me no matter what. I guess each people's attitude count in this case, don't envy people who have something you can't have and don't treat people bad just because you have something they don't. Jerks exist everywhere and this is not specifically tech related, but has more to do with culture

 

[ThatDudeWithTheFood]

Man, Bortz, blogs are like, so 2012. Its all about posting in the Off-Topic section (also he is trying to make conversation, not just doing all the crying people usually do in blogs. )

Anyway, this kind of elitism is just another part of american culture, I dont want to talk shit about other countries and make people mad , its the same reason why people go around buying shirts that are 80 bucks and watches that cost also much as cars. Media teaches us to be uncomfortable with our image towards other people, therefore we try to buy other things to cover up who we are and conform, its nothing really new, and its the basis behind almost any event in history where one race, people, or place has been deemed 'unworthy' or 'less than'.

Its basic human instinct to want to be the best, nature shows us it gets all the bitches and makes it so you can go on making more 'best' people. Its a good reason why were even able to talk about this kind of thing in the first place.

Back on track, technological elitism stems from improving our image, thats why things that have smooth or elegant desgins tend to sell more. It makes people think your an elegant person, you can see it in almost anything made in the last decade or so.

Hell, the DS you had, its a Lite isnt it? Its the same reason people choose DS Lites or I's over Phats or PSPs. Its thinner, slick and much better looking then the ergonomic phatness that is the PSP 2000. This guy you talk about bought an iPhone for 2 of 3 reasons, 1) He saw his friends with it and wanted to belong, 2) It was thin and shiney, 3) He would rather a easy and consistent interface then a rough, slightly complex, yet malleable one. So then, he goes on the bus, and sees you playing on a DS, grown adult and everything, his mind is thinking "This guy clearly is below me, hes using a childs toy" and then he does a stupid reaction.

TL;DR Its something people have always done, its part of people being people. Just give them an awkward glance and walk away.

EDIT: Nathan is right, it also has a good bit to do with price, people usually see it cost more and think its better. 50s logic.

I don't think you can really compare clothes and accesories to technology because in general a watch that costs as much as a car will last for a lifetime whereas technology will be outdated in a few years. Not to mention when you are wearing an expensive ass T-Shirt it's likely almost no one will know it is seriously expensive infact the opposite tends to happen and people think you're weird because you're not wearing Abercrombie or Hollister. People who wear expensive clothing wear it because they like it not because they want to show off. Except for the people who tell you how much their clothes cost those people are doing it because they want to show off.

I used to let technology elitism bother me a lot but then I realized that I don't know these people and these people don't know me so who cares what they think. However when someone I know is being technology elitist I let them know it and they stop being retarded douches.Elitism of all types is just for people to show off and feel better about themselves. A lot of people can't measure their self worth in any other way besides the new fancy stuff they have.

Also why are we blaming Apple for pouncing on stupid consumers instead of the stupid consumers themselves?
There are many people who use Apple products for what they are made for and that's who Apple tries to cater too they also somehow gained a following with dumb people who think expensive laptops are somehow better for blogging than one that is 2x as cheap. The dumb people are the ones to blame is all I'm saying.

 

[AceWarhead]

Ignore em, and just bask in the glory that you are superior to them.
DS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>anything Apple.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Also why are we blaming Apple for pouncing on stupid consumers instead of the stupid consumers themselves?
There are many people who use Apple products for what they are made for and that's who Apple tries to cater too they also somehow gained a following with dumb people who think expensive laptops are somehow better for blogging than one that is 2x as cheap. The dumb people are the ones to blame is all I'm saying.

The consumer is inherently stupid. It's the way we are as people. We have no idea what the hell we want; we let advertisers and companies tell us what we want. Apple has gone for the "sleek + expensive" route, which is fine for awhile. It's the reason Alienware sold to begin with. It isn't as if they were good gaming computers, or that they were better than what you could get for $1000+ less. They just looked nice (yes, I know they're still sold, but the handful available by Dell don't really count). It's the fact that Apple has done it for around a decade now and show no signs of stopping. They've gone beyond simply taking advantage of the average consumer, and rather prey on their ignorance by releasing a "brand new" iPhone whenever they feel like popping in a couple new features for a few hundred dollars.

Honestly, if it weren't for the technologically educated members of society and the fact that Windows is still widely seen as a superior OS to OSX, Apple would be pushing towards a very illegal monopoly. As it stands, they've been making one hell of an effort to remove competitors from any field they can. As a company, Apple legitimately is a parasite, feeding off society and draining other companies until they have no choice but to bow out.

 

[The Milkman]

I don't think you can really compare clothes and accesories to technology because in general a watch that costs as much as a car will last for a lifetime whereas technology will be outdated in a few years. Not to mention when you are wearing an expensive ass T-Shirt it's likely almost no one will know it is seriously expensive infact the opposite tends to happen and people think you're weird because you're not wearing Abercrombie or Hollister. People who wear expensive clothing wear it because they like it not because they want to show off. Except for the people who tell you how much their clothes cost those people are doing it because they want to show off.

It still applies, even though your watch lasts longer, your not going to tell me a rolex is the ONLY watch that will last that long for that price, its brand recognition, while the shirt wasnt exactly a good example, shoes are one I see quite often. A 200 or 300 shoe that has just been sold for a shorter period of time, but is not necessarily BETTER. But your right, technology really is the most obvious place you can see it, seeing how pretty much everything we have is going to be in a trash can in a year or so >_>

I used to let technology elitism bother me a lot but then I realized that I don't know these people and these people don't know me so who cares what they think. However when someone I know is being technology elitist I let them know it and they stop being retarded douches.Elitism of all types is just for people to show off and feel better about themselves. A lot of people can't measure their self worth in any other way besides the new fancy stuff they have.

Yep, what I was saying, fully agree.

Also why are we blaming Apple for pouncing on stupid consumers instead of the stupid consumers themselves?
There are many people who use Apple products for what they are made for and that's who Apple tries to cater too they also somehow gained a following with dumb people who think expensive laptops are somehow better for blogging than one that is 2x as cheap. The dumb people are the ones to blame is all I'm saying.

Makes sense, but can you blame a little kid for wanting to hang with the big kids on the playground? I would rather say companies like Apple are smart for actually looking at how people think and act and base their marketing on that, rather then blame the mass for trying to fit in. But I do agree to a point.

 

[DinohScene]

Apple fans are weird.
They want everything what they come up with.
Ipod, Iphone, Ipad, Imac, Ibook, Itable, Icat, Idoor, Ifloor, Ihouse, Icar, Iuniverse.

Meh, I'll stick to me late '07 lappie and the rest of me old technology.
Me phone doesn't work anymore so I don't care about it either.

 

[Chary]

Apple fans are weird.
They want everything what they come up with.
Ipod, Iphone, Ipad, Imac, Ibook, Itable, Icat, Idoor, Ifloor, Ihouse, Icar, Iuniverse.

Meh, I'll stick to me late '07 lappie and the rest of me old technology.
Me phone doesn't work anymore so I don't care about it either.

Hey! HEY! Don't you dare go mocking iCats. They're awesome.

 

[ThatDudeWithTheFood]

The consumer is inherently stupid. It's the way we are as people. We have no idea what the hell we want; we let advertisers and companies tell us what we want. Apple has gone for the "sleek + expensive" route, which is fine for awhile. It's the reason Alienware sold to begin with. It isn't as if they were good gaming computers, or that they were better than what you could get for $1000+ less. They just looked nice (yes, I know they're still sold, but the handful available by Dell don't really count). It's the fact that Apple has done it for around a decade now and show no signs of stopping. They've gone beyond simply taking advantage of the average consumer, and rather prey on their ignorance by releasing a "brand new" iPhone whenever they feel like popping in a couple new features for a few hundred dollars.

Honestly, if it weren't for the technologically educated members of society and the fact that Windows is still widely seen as a superior OS to OSX, Apple would be pushing towards a very illegal monopoly. As it stands, they've been making one hell of an effort to remove competitors from any field they can. As a company, Apple legitimately is a parasite, feeding off society and draining other companies until they have no choice but to bow out.

Now that you mention their annoying habits to sue other companies and their releasing of iPhones with very few new features I'm inclined to agree that they are pretty bad and it makes sense to blame them but they are not the only ones at fault. Consumers should be responsible for educating themselves about the products they are receiving and probably should demand a bigger increase in new features and performance.

I don't think they will ever be able to monopolize the technology industry though because of Google and their approach to the market.

It still applies, even though your watch lasts longer, your not going to tell me a rolex is the ONLY watch that will last that long for that price, its brand recognition, while the shirt wasnt exactly a good example, shoes are one I see quite often. A 200 or 300 shoe that has just been sold for a shorter period of time, but is not necessarily BETTER. But your right, technology really is the most obvious place you can see it, seeing how pretty much everything we have is going to be in a trash can in a year or so >_>

Makes sense, but can you blame a little kid for wanting to hang with the big kids on the playground? I would rather say companies like Apple are smart for actually looking at how people think and act and base their marketing on that, rather then blame the mass for trying to fit in. But I do agree to a point.

Rolex's are a good example actually but I thought you were just talking about expensive watches in general.

Shoes are like the exception to every rule actually.
200-300 dollar shoes generally come into 3 categories.
1.Athletic shoes-these have tons of features that make them expensive and go through a lot of wear and tear so it makes sense to replace them frequently.
2.Dress shoes-these last a long time and are basically a necessity for many people
3.Shoes like the Air Yeezy 2's-works of art that deserve to be cherished for all eternity(also last a long time)

 

[DinohScene]

Hey! HEY! Don't you dare go mocking iCats. They're awesome.

I just googled it.
I'm shocked that Apple didn't sue them for the "i" in the name ._.

 

[The Milkman]

Rolex's are a good example actually but I thought you were just talking about expensive watches in general.

Shoes are like the exception to every rule actually.
200-300 dollar shoes generally come into 3 categories.
1.Athletic shoes-these have tons of features that make them expensive and go through a lot of wear and tear so it makes sense to replace them frequently.
2.Dress shoes-these last a long time and are basically a necessity for many people
3.Shoes like the Air Yeezy 2's-works of art that deserve to be cherished for all eternity(also last a long time)

Im 16 bro, the people I socialize with always mean #1 when they talk about shoes

Also, in regards to your other response, not all consumers care about which they have, and they certainly dont feel like educating themselves to buy it. All they want to know is which can do the most cool things fastest, and usually the one they see is the one friends use or whats advertised the most. Example, to me Samsungs are shit. I never liked their smartphones (but I love them TVs ) and I find Motorala way better, seeing how I still see Droid X's that are working great that were bought at the beginning of the 'smart' era. That doesnt keep all my friends from grabbing SG3s or iPhone 4S'. Hell, with my Xperia Play breaking down now, I was thinking of grabbing a Galaxy Note when my contract goes up at the end of the year. Same reason new PC gamers drool over Alienware, they dont hear about MSI or even THINK to buy a custom, they buy what they see people talk about. Its part of socializing.