Recently, the topic of consumerism has been keeping me up… When we think about consumerism, we think of all the bad connotations. We think about the over-indulgences which led to the recent economic crises; and some of us may even think about how those driven by greed convert their indulgences into situations like the BP oil spill.
Last month I attended Rogers TabLife TO – a conference focused on the advent of tablets (iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Dell Streak, PlayBook). What struck me wasn’t the technology – in fact, it’s expected that the technology should overshadow anything we are currently used to – i.e. the laptop. No, what struck me was WHY these devices are gaining in popularity.
The speaker line up was brilliant, and the majority spoke about how tablets were changing: media, newspapers, philanthropy and retail (among other things). In the end, what stuck with me was the notion that these devices are tools for a new kind of consumerism.