Novelty Unlimited!

 

It was yet another day when I was caught ‘red-handed’ by my parents and sister while I was busy chatting on WhatsApp. My parents fear that I am turning into a ‘WhatsApp Addict’, which according to them, is as pernicious as an addiction to cigarettes and drugs! I have a hard time explaining to them that, at times, WhatsApp is a medium of academic exchanges as well, besides being the channel of grapevine communication. And sometimes these academic discussions and exchanges take a while. Though my family has a hard time resonating with my defense, it is the only way I know to placate them. When my sister reminisces her MBA days, she realizes how fortunate she was, that WhatsApp was not ubiquitous, like it is today. I remember my sister’s MBA days, when she used to have interactions with her friends on Google group or on Gmail chats, when not in college. When I think of those days, which were only 4 years back, I am astonished to realize the huge transition that took place in these 4 years!

I believe that the continuous strides in technologies today, totally give justice to the adage “Nothing is constant in life but change”. In my life as a student, I have witnessed these strides in various ways. When I read about Nokia’s acquisition by Microsoft for $7.2 billion, I remembered my junior college days when I owned my first cell-phone, a Nokia device and the days when Nokia shone as the leader in the Indian cellphone market. In 2009, having a mobile with mp3 player, FM radio and a 2 megapixel camera was considered a matter of opulence. During my sister’s junior college days, 4 years prior to mine, she had bought a Philips FM radio device, as her first cell-phone was devoid of all the ‘extra’ features like camera and MP3. During those days owning an iPod was a matter of pride for many youngsters. As I reached my Graduation years, the horizons to have a cell-phone with latest features broadened. It’s funny that how in 2013, the exact definition of demand to buy a new cell-phone worked. My ‘need’ to have a new cell-phone was backed by my parents’ ‘ability’ and ‘willingness’ to buy one for me. Thus in this way, I owned my first Android Gingerbread phone. Over the years, we see perfect example of monopolistic competition in the cell-phone market. Samsung faces tough competition from other brands like Micromax, Gionee, HTC, which are slowly capturing the market. But what tops all these brands are Apple phones, the epitome of snob goods. Excitement of novelty is highly experienced among iPhone patrons, I believe. The launch of iPhone 6, “Bigger than bigger” received a grand welcome like any of its predecessor iPhones.

Recently in one of my classes, we had a discussion about the e-commerce websites. I could relate to those discussions as I had, over the last two years, purchased a number of items online, including my laptop. When I think of the past years of my shopping pattern, especially of electronic devices, I remember my father’s cautious approach and an eye for the minutest specification. The trust which the online shopping websites have created in the Indian minds makes it immaterial for the consumers to touch, see and feel the products before buying them. My sister astounds at the fact that I could get a light-in-weight, latest laptop online with a best deal, something which was not very common when she bought her laptop 4 years ago.

Why just the changes in technology around the world, so many technological changes we all must have noticed at our homes itself. CRT television and computer replaced by LCD ones, low energy consuming appliances replacing the traditional ones, digital and other high performance cameras replacing the traditional ‘negatives producing’ cameras, the defunctness of cassettes and floppy disks, which were then replaced by CDs, who in turn were replaced by USBs and so much more novelty! These days I notice that in various Bollywood songs that I listen to, a particular singer's voice is modified to some extent by using the magic of various softwares. A time will come when a singer with blood and flesh may not even be required to sing a song. Here too, technology can do the job of cost cutting! When it comes to food, we constantly wish that we should always have something new to taste and so we end up experimenting with our taste buds in a number of restaurants. Hence we find that famous restaurant chains like McDonalds, Domino’s etc. resorting to product diversification to hold the consumer base strong. The advent of Burger King in India is one such recent addition for the epicureans.

As I write this article, I remember the days when I used a pen to write my articles on a piece of paper, in my immaculate cursive handwriting. Though I save resources like paper and ink by avoiding the innumerable cancellations while editing, at the same time I fear that I will forget the beauty of my handwriting. Probably I will have to go back to my school days when I used to improve the handwriting using the ‘Cursive Handwriting Workbook’! 

Novelty is very much required in our lives. Without it, life will be dull and monotonous. In today’s world, novelty is a necessity. It is rightly said in Economics, ‘man’s needs are unlimited and resources are limited’. Businesses today use this principle to attract the consumers and maximize their profits in that process. In this era, where the environment around us is continuously changing, it is necessary that we remain firm with our ethics and values and not compromise them for worldly possessions. Innovation is something which helps us bring about changes in our lifestyles, thought processes and personality over the years. What we should not forget are our core values which we lead to live a secured life full of happiness. We should always welcome the changes in our life as opportunities to be better individuals. C’est la vie!