Keeping up with the Joneses

Some people spend a huge portion of their time, effort, money and focus to keep with the changing trends and life style of people around them. They have to put on the show when in fact the show is already over. A person might buy a special device and those around that person would follow, not for reasons of functionality or need of it.

If it is a person’s lifestyle to acquire new items, then it is a matter of choice and the issue of waste is subjective and would depend on the type of life that person leads.

For instance a person whose income depends on technology might need to keep with the time and get the latest device.

However, for the follower it is not about finding or acquiring a unique piece but rather showing that they can afford what others have and to take away from the spotlight by making it a new norm. This might be annoying at times for those being copied but it is a more useless exercise for those copying, as it becomes hard to continually copy someone’s spending pattern and list of possessions. They might end up with a whole room filled with items or even a lifestyle that represents someone else’s rather than one’s own. This would bury the creativity and individual taste and directs the attention to racing for things that were not on one’s agenda and rather on a strayed path. Besides the financial burden, it will be living to someone else’s aspirations, dreams and goals. At one point they should wonder: how important was it to keep up with the Jones?

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