Rob Walker, author behind “Buying In” and the popular “Consumed” column for the NY Times Magazine, is best known for his work that examines the fluid relationships we have with the objects in our lives – much of it dealing with the ways our purchasing habits affect us emotionally and psychologically. And though we may have all experienced the rush of buying a pair of designer shoes, what happens when they’ve lost their luster and the “thrill” is finally gone?
Whether because they no longer work or simply because we no longer want them anymore, we are constantly faced with the question of how to get rid of the things we buy. Walker refers to this act as unconsumption and with his new blog further explores this often complicated process of letting go through insightful examples of recycling, reusing, reducing or even just plain throwing away. By attempting to uncover novel methods for attaching value and meaning to what is generally considered a careless act, thoughtful unconsumption as a collective approach has particular relevancy for a world saddled with a faltering economy and an ailing environment.
[via murketing]
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There definitely is a distinct pleasure in “recycling, reusing, reducing or even just plain throwing away” – or giving away! even better than throwing away…
February 24th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Very true – like a version of third party reuse. I don’t know how I missed that as I was thinking more about the multiple layers of the term.
There’s also a great sidebar on the unconsumption blog that talks about enjoying the things we buy to the fullest, not just at the point that we acquire them which is a great image, assuming of course there’s not some built-in obsolescence that forces us to face the decision of whether to spend $50 on new battery let’s say or $75 on a brand new “fill-in-the-blank” device with battery included. “Wearing something out” in its truest sense rarely happens anymore.
Also just realized that Walker talks about unconsumption as “free” which in a perfect world means no waste whatsoever as a cost to the environment. All the more reason to support innovative solutions.
February 24th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
EPR: Extended Producer Responsibility!
February 25th, 2009 at 1:56 pm