Do I really need a new phone

When I look at all the innovations made in the phone space, there isn’t really much which appeals to me. A bigger screen, some AI features and water resistance. Firstly I don’t go showering with my phone, secondly I do have all of these AI features too, they just come with a few more clicks and lastly, having a bigger screen will just mean multitasking better which is already something I can do with my computer. So in essence, all what these innovations provide is just a little more ease to do things I already do quite well. The phone I am currently using isn’t half bad, it already does a decent job of browsing the internet and having a good battery life. It can take all the apps I could possibly want while being just a couple years old.

There is a desire to be up to date with the latest trends which stems much more from a peer pressure standpoint than out of necessity, Most people want the latest phones because of status, for others to see those phones and go like, they are cool for having that but when you sit and consider the value added those new phones bring, there isn’t much there. This isn’t to say its a bad thing, we do alot of things out of peer pressure, so they still provide value even if its just one of status. When you choose the beautiful car instead of the most productive, when you get what everybody wants instead of what could be best for you and so on.

The answer

I don’t need a new phone but I do need to feel socially accepted which will come through having a phone which is up to date with current trends. People will see that I have what they want, people who already have that will validate me emotionally and I’ll feel accepted by a huge chunk of the population. Since its much easier for us to be united towards what is most recent, we can easily gravitate towards that.

Feeling socially accepted

We are social creatures, so it really doesn’t come as much of a surprise if we do things to be socially accepted, whether its the dresses we wear, the food we choose to eat, the places we go, a lot of it all comes down to being accepted by our peers. Its a whole part of our character which needs to be maintained because it provides us with happiness. By all means if you can afford it then you should get that new phone you desire, the problem mostly comes from the fact that we’ll go to lengths to feel socially accepted even at a detriment to our own wellbeing. I won’t even be questioning whether to get a new phone or not if I could afford it in the blink of an eye. The only question on my mind would be if I was willing to make more space in my pocket for it.

To feel socially accepted, people are willing to go way beyond their limits to do things which really isn’t in their benefit in any way and this is where lies the problem.

Conclusion

Its pretty clear that every decision we make has a certain level of social acceptance attached to it, which could be counter productive. The fact that you are interested in what is most popular is clearly because of social pressure much more than it is because of a true desire to upgrade. At the very least, recognizing these emotions for what they are is very much important to preserve us from making emotionally biased decision at the detriment of our well being.

Thanks for reading ☺️