We were discussing change behaviors with a colleague today, and if change is forced, it rarely leads to faster adoption, because it will face a lot of change resistance. However, if steps are developed by those who are going to be making the changes and then enabled in pieces, the implementation not only goes more smoothly and quickly, it is also better supported.
Behavioral change is what is needed, but the fact is, that no individuals want to be the one who has to make the change themselves, even though they might want to get the results of the change. And, if there is a shortcut, they are going to take it, even if it comes with other limitations - like drugs used for weight-loss.
In general, we are short-term thinkers and actors by nature, because until quite recently in our history as a species, we haven't really been able to save much. We would hunt and gather and have to eat it within a short time frame and the tools we had, were not of the standard that could necessarily be passed down through the generations. As language developed, we started sharing our information that led to practical behaviors, like improving our hunting prowess.
It is only in the last few thousand years since the farming revolution took hold, that we started storing food for the future in any large quantities, which meant that we are then able to survive conditions, that were previously unsurvivable - like harsh winters. This means that for only a relatively short time of our evolution, we have been able to plan for the future, without the only plan being to move somewhere else.
We aren't savers by nature, we are spenders.
Yet, in a world of global economics and trade, success is defined by the ability to use resources well, which means having them available when they can make the most impact on our experience. For instance, in order to buy the dips, a trader has to have something with which to buy, and if they haven't prepared, the dip will come and they can not take a position in it. They need to learn how to hold capital energy, so they are able to spend capital energy when it is most advantageous to do so.
But, the culture of instant gratification plays into our lizard brain, caveman mentality - where it is a spend now process that gives a dopamine reward, encouraging more spending until nothing is left. It is like a compulsive gambler, just one more bet, then they will stop.
Consumption is an addiction.
Saving can be an addiction too of course, where there are people like hoarders who obsessively hold onto everything, regardless of the value and, are unable to let go of anything, even when they know it is valueless. But, there are far more consumer addicts than saver addicts I would imagine, because there is far more incentive and encouragement to keep spending what we have, whether it be our time, money or attention.
There is an endless competition to extract all the value possible from us, and a constant set of new mechanisms to leverage our behaviors to generate wealth to extract. Who knew that someone could make money from people's photos of their lunch, yet - billions has been made to the point that restaurants design their products to be photographable by amateurs with a phone, so they will want to eat there more often.
Essentially, what the social platforms are doing, is using consumption as a mechanism to drive behaviors that lead to more consumption, creating collateral that will keep spiraling through trends that shift consumer behavior, to spend more time, money and energy on chasing the cycle. It is the ability to create a self-filling pool of behavior, where the products change, but the process reminds the same. Buyer behaviors haven't shifted much, just the products and services they buy has.
And, just like how we crave sugar, we now have an endless supply of consumer options to choose from that give us that addiction hit, and the next catalogue to start the hunger again. We keep spending endlessly, never having enough to invest when it is most beneficial to do so, never storing nuts for the winter.
While I don't think there is some centralized cabal organizing this mechanism, economics is driven by the flow of money through trade and corporations are algorithmically driven to produce value for shareholders. This means that there is financial incentive in a key area of the economy that impacts on everyone, and alignment is going to happen toward profit making, which is through directing the behavior of the masses. This means that even without a conspiracy, the corporations operate in the same vein, and there is incentive from government to support them, as tax money is ultimately derived from business activity.
The economic incentive isn't for saving, it is for spending.
And it fits into our evolutionary genetics to eat when there is food, even though these days, we (mostly) have a very high food availability. There is always something more to buy and, the lifecycle of these things is getting shorter and shorter, driven by them both not lasting as long, as well as social and cultural lifecycle, making things disposable, even though they are technically still working and doing their job. For example, incremental improvements or cosmetic changes in products that don't really add much value, but we feel we need to have.
It is hard to be a holder in this world, and it is very, very difficult for most of us to get to a point we have anything to hold in the first place. Not only is the cost of living increasing relative to earnings, there is an avalanche of new ways to spend and our FOMO (another natural response that is encouraged) kicks in and we spend more, leaving less in storage for spending on generative activities that build ownership.
If we don't have ownership, we don't have a staked voice, but this doesn't mean we don't have power. Because as consumers, we are also the driving force of the supply and what has value. Currently, we are encouraged to spend on what doesn't give us ownership power, but rather increases the profits for those we buy from so they can increase their ownership instead.
The growing wealth gap.
If we want to change the situation, we have to learn that we are the ones who have to change our behavior and that is never really what anyone wants to do, because it is rarely easy or quick. And, improving the economy isn't going to happen over night, even if everyone were to start changing their behavior today, as it takes time for new, healthier processes to align. But, not starting means to continue to support the path we are on, the status quo, which will never lead to where the majority wants to go.
We might want the results, but actions need to be made.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
