Thought of the Day

Internet shopping is dangerous!
Back when the internet wasn't around (or as popular nor widespread), people had to go into stores or malls to shop. You had a physical presence. Now, you can do it at home in your PJs. Half asleep. Half conscious of the hundreds you're spending...

This little mask of anonymity has encouraged a slew of online shopping sites that prey on our helplessness for spending and consuming. It is too tempting to go online and see whether you can find that neat little gadget you want.

Do we need any of this shit?

Just the other day I helped my mom buy more phone cases. Her rationale was that they're too expensive in store (about 500% more expensive), so she might as well buy a few online for the price of ONE item in store. But then she's getting hooked... the pretty colours, the great site layout... the low prices... she's asking me monthly to buy items from that store. Items she'd never buy in real life.

And the Internet does a great job of imitating real life. They have customer service, they sometimes have a live chat. They take your money and give you an electronic receipt.

But with sites like Paypal, where you click ONCE and your payment goes through (easy and convenient, right?), you forget you're using your very real, and very spendable, money.

It's kind of like how people go into debt using credit-cards. The Internet functions much the same way... except the Internet doesn't give a hoot. Know why? Because they have the ENTIRE WORLD to prey on.

Credit card companies usually only cover their national demographic. In my case, Canadian credit cards only worry about Canadians not footing the bill.

Paypal is international. Anyone with a credit card ANYWHERE can use it, and therefore can rack up debt.

Yep, the Internet is all about universal access. All about bringing the world closer together. But at the same time, it brings the world closer to us. The world includes scary things like overspending, debt, addiction, consumerism, and scariest of all... I haven't shopped in anything other than my PJs in weeks...
We lose the fun and human interaction that real-life shopping brings us. The thrill of holding something tangible in your hand. We aren't robots attached to our computers (tablets, smart phones, etc. etc.), so let's get back to our roots and get out there!

I'm not saying we should be paying 500% markups on products. But it is just fun to shop around, and we can do that with our feet, not our fingers.