Modernities, customization and new generation
Autor: repagani | Publicado: 2016-03-11T14:21:00-08:00








Older
people are from a time when marketing did not make so much difference as it
does now. Older people, the Baby Boomers, or generation "X", were used to have
products from mass production. Products were not so customized, and one would
by the same car as his friend’s, and his friends’ friends…. Women would wear
the same pants as her friends. And it did not matter that much! &nbsp;Variety, and quantity as well, were not a
reality for many many people. Products were expensive, difficult to purchase.&nbsp;&nbsp;














Also, microwave ovens were not so popular! One would have to cook in a conventional stove, meal after meal. They became a little more popular in the last 15 years, in the same way as dishwashers, and washing machines. In my house, when I was single, we never had a dishwasher, or a microwave. I remember my father buying a washing machine when I was not a child anymore, and that was when we also had a telephone at home. 

TVs did not have so much channels as they have now!! They have few channels, and maybe not a remote control with so many options! In many cases, not even a remote control.










Therefore,
most of the products and services were not customized. The customer would
receive that product, and use it. It was not very common to complain about. And
this was not good at all, but that was how things worked then. 





Nowadays,
the competitions increased, more and more companies within different sectors
entered the market, and the marketing turned to become more and more important,
striving to serve customers in a more customized way possible, and this is very
good!











The new
generation is now able to select the products and services they want, and there
are several trademarks, and customized ones, so that they can look different.
And if they are not satisfied, just return and complain, very fast, in the same
velocity the foods can be prepared in the microwave, or the dozens, hundreds of
channels are changed by the remote control, and with the same facility that the
dishes and clothes are washed by machines, this is the way the new generation
wants things to happen!





And what we
see now in many aspects of modern life is a reflex, or at least a very nice parallel,
with the modernization of life, characterized by a huge offer of facilities in
several areas of human being. 









In the
political scenario is exactly a reflection of the behavior of this new
generation (some are not so new). They want a customized politician: if this
politician does not fulfill their personal needs, they simply crush him/her on
the internet. They want a customized professor in class: if the professor is
not fulfilling their needs for entertainment, they “change the channel”. If
their friends do not act in a customized way, they simply disconnect, and the
friend is off line…. 





Same thing
towards marriage… people want a marriage, like the one advertised by marketing
(wedding sector companies…), or social nets…. 



So what? 





Norbert
Elias would predict part, or more than just a part, of this context:
civilization has its advances, but also has its counterparts… modernization
does not necessarily mean a good life, for people are having a much better life
concerning facilities, but it seems they are unhappier than our ascendents. And
it seems that our life style has been somehow affected by our modern conditions
of living… or maybe it is just my mind that misunderstood the context. 





That’s for
you to ponder!