Consoomers / Consoomer Culture - Because if it has a recogniseable brand on it, I’d buy it!

[Zbk3VmLfujjzjxBd43tL]

I think the reason for this consumerism is two-fold. One is that modern entertainment isn't as satisfying to older consumers as nostalgia *can* be. The other reason is that marketing has become MUCH better at coercing consumers. What I mean by this is that, at some point in time, people started to become less interested in new entertainment, either from an oversaturation of it, lack of innovation in the industry, or whatever else. Thusly, they started backtracking to see if there was more fun to be had with what they already have.

There is a lot of that, but I think it's mainly because the generations that grew up on this are now at the point in their lives they have far too much disposable income and they want a big ass wall of the vidya they could never get growing up. Like think of the 90s when you had baseball cards and shit going for insane money--that was because boomers (raised on baseball) were hitting the same age vidya consoomers are now. Everyone knew that one kid with all the games and consoles growing up and/or had a relative with all that, and lots of Youtubers from AVGN on have huge libraries too.

 

[Thumb Butler]

There is a lot of that, but I think it's mainly because the generations that grew up on this are now at the point in their lives they have far too much disposable income and they want a big ass wall of the vidya they could never get growing up. Like think of the 90s when you had baseball cards and shit going for insane money--that was because boomers (raised on baseball) were hitting the same age vidya consoomers are now. Everyone knew that one kid with all the games and consoles growing up and/or had a relative with all that, and lots of Youtubers from AVGN on have huge libraries too.

I think it's a very US/American thing. Consooom till you drop.

 

[LinkinParkxNaruto[AMV]]

and lots of Youtubers from AVGN on have huge libraries too.

AVGN didn't really have many games when he started making the videos, iirc he had sold all his childhood consoles and games already so had to start buying them again, its just that in the 00s he could get a dozen snes cartridges for 5 bucks. The retro market for games was poorfag central.

Its really the next wave of imitators who started paying jacked up prices out the ass for their shelves. A good example on how quickly hype can work its magic.

 

[Zbk3VmLfujjzjxBd43tL]

AVGN didn't really have many games when he started making the videos, iirc he had sold all his childhood consoles and games already so had to start buying them again, its just that in the 00s he could get a dozen snes cartridges for 5 bucks. The retro market for games was poorfag central.

Its really the next wave of imitators who started paying jacked up prices out the ass for their shelves. A good example on how quickly hype can work its magic.

Back in the day, AVGN pretty much was "that cool older kid/relative with all the vidya" since that was part of his appeal (no one would believe the actual truth of course) and sure enough by 2008 or so had his "game room" set where it at least looked like he owned thousands of games and owned all sorts of junk like the Jaguar CD and Atari 5200.

Speaking of which, a Jaguar CD will run you about $1,300 these days minimum. I cannot imagine why anyone would pay that much money for something so notoriously prone to failure, but whatever.

 

[WelperHelper99]

Back in the day, AVGN pretty much was "that cool older kid/relative with all the vidya" since that was part of his appeal (no one would believe the actual truth of course) and sure enough by 2008 or so had his "game room" set where it at least looked like he owned thousands of games and owned all sorts of junk like the Jaguar CD and Atari 5200.

Speaking of which, a Jaguar CD will run you about $1,300 these days minimum. I cannot imagine why anyone would pay that much money for something so notoriously prone to failure, but whatever.

A Jaguar CD isn't even 64 bits like they promised, the fuck?!?. I just want to buy games for my OG Xbox so I can eventually rip and port them to a future PC when the hardware is about to give. Emulation is the future, even if I hate it.

 

[PyrrhicRustle]

It's gotten so pervasive at this point that it's sometimes hard to believe that less than 10 years ago, no one really cared about "retro" whatever and people were constantly throwing away games, trinkets, and collectables from the 20th century like the worthless plastic crap it usually is.

I think the reason for this consumerism is two-fold.

Another point I think is the rise in Internet communities and fandoms now gives more a point to having a collection. Odds are, most people in real life will not give a shit about your collection, and so in the past there was less incentive to amass a huge collection, because you’re the only one who will care. Now, however, you have at your fingertips potentially thousands of people to show your collection off to. They can get the dopamine hit of posting updates to whatever collection and getting upvotes from people jealous of their crap.

 

[Yaks]

Another point I think is the rise in Internet communities and fandoms now gives more a point to having a collection. Odds are, most people in real life will not give a shit about your collection, and so in the past there was less incentive to amass a huge collection, because you’re the only one who will care. Now, however, you have at your fingertips potentially thousands of people to show your collection off to. They can get the dopamine hit of posting updates to whatever collection and getting upvotes from people jealous of their crap.

I've seen this in game collecting reddit. A lot of it is just posts of teens and early twenty somethings buying like, 2 new games and showing off their collection of maybe 10 games on a shelf and being very proud/excited about it. That's a relatively small sample size given the collections we see now, but then you run into the insane people who end up getting thousands of games over the course of one year and seem to mostly just post them to reddit. If I actually had the autism and time to track some of these fledgeling collector posts, I wonder how many of them spiral out of control within the first year.

It's always interesting seeing the toy collectors from pre-nostalgia retro price boom. Their collections are usually massive with unique items in it because of how much more affordable they were at the time. A lot of collectors now seem to have the same visual setup and items, it oddly feels sanitized and corporate despite being purely individuals. It really adds to the feeling they're all doing it for show and social clout rather than actually enjoying the things they're hoarding.

I mean I might think you're a consumer whore, but I can appreciate a consumer whore who is actually happy and having fun.

 

[Cuntspiracy Man]

theres something fun, ill admit, about collecting things that you actually need to spend time to find

i dont collect many things but ill occasionally appreciate the weird item or antique, and i collect those flippy can tabs and make chains out of them... theres a certain engagement in going out of your way to FIND the thing youre collecting

when its something very easily collectible at your fingertips and is purely locked away behind "how much money are you willng to spend?"
it loses the interesting part in my opinion

 

[Kalsarikännit]

It's always interesting seeing the toy collectors from pre-nostalgia retro price boom. Their collections are usually massive with unique items in it because of how much more affordable they were at the time. A lot of collectors now seem to have the same visual setup and items, it oddly feels sanitized and corporate despite being purely individuals. It really adds to the feeling they're all doing it for show and social clout rather than actually enjoying the things they're hoarding.

Yep, and I think that that’s the result of marketing hijacking nostalgia. I remember watching as the market pivoted from “here’s yesterday’s classics you can get for cheap if you can’t afford the new stuff” & buying specific niche things from one’s own childhood to what’s essentially a “who wasted the most money on 30yo plastic?” challenge.

It’s now about how many “grails” one has in their collection, condition, and other silly nitpicky things like that. And these consumers shell out big bucks for the “nice” examples of things, buy multiple copies of the same thing, and also vacuum up any new product or merchandise corporations make to cash in on the sentiment. (Who actually buys the remanufactured speak-n-spells to give to their kids?)

I’ve always bought to have, and to use. Condition aside from functionality rarely matters in that sense (and often if something is beat up, it’s an even better deal!) and as such it seems I’ve been resistant to that pull that seems to have sucked many others into dropping thousands on shit that is, functionally, worthless.

Also, yeah, baseball cards were an early example of this. They’re also a sign of the future, since no one young cares about them and their value has subsequently tanked.

Oh, and let’s not forget: corporations ARE profiting off of the private sale of vintage items, and a lot, if those sales are happening on sites like eBay where they take a cut of the profit.

 

[cybertoaster]

Given how commercialized punk has became with expensive designer boots, jackets, and patches/accessories it would ironically be cheaper and just as counter culture for a young adult to wear a nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt today.

Punk died in the 80's, what you seen since then its cope and marketing.

Not to mention Bronies had a political feminist element of defying gender roles shit.

Nah that was internet cope, any real feminist that saw a brony recoiled with the utmost repulsion, and normie women too.

I'll argue they are worse than furries since at least the latter have jobs. Bronies are mostly ersatz chris-chans.

What I find the most interesting about this consoomer group is it seems to be a never ending cycle of resellers buying and selling to each other.

So like crypto, except it destroys the environment................like crypto.

 

[Cuntspiracy Man]

Punk died in the 80's, what you seen since then its cope and marketing.

Nah that was internet cope, any real feminist that saw a brony recoiled with the utmost repulsion, and normie women too.

I'll argue they are worse than furries since at least the latter have jobs. Bronies are mostly ersatz chris-chans.

So like crypto, except it destroys the environment................like crypto.

this whole post is some fag retard reddit shit

 

[cybertoaster]

this whole post is some fag retard reddit shit

Found the clopper.

 

[Yaks]

I’ve always bought to have, and to use. Condition aside from functionality rarely matters in that sense (and often if something is beat up, it’s an even better deal!) and as such it seems I’ve been resistant to that pull that seems to have sucked many others into dropping thousands on shit that is, functionally, worthless.

Functional is where I invest the most money, especially on used older goods that will last me a lifetime over the plastic stuff. However I appreciate a good aesthetic thing, it's functional in that it makes your living space feel more like a home for someone with a personality and interests. That said, I don't think entire walls filled with video game labels and anime waifu figures falls into that category.

For the big collectors, even the sincere ones, when you have so many do you even appreciate them anymore? I have a couple little trinkets on my home office desk, placed specifically for me to see easily. There's just enough where I can look at them sometimes and smile or get a little giggle because they're honestly stupid kitsch, but I do actively enjoy their presence and sometimes reorganizing them into new spots. Do they really focus in on any of them anymore and really appreciate the aesthetic appeal?

I always wonder what level of a certain number size of non-functional item an average person has to get to before the item itself no longer has value other than number go up.

So like crypto, except it destroys the environment................like crypto.

well in theory they're practicing recycling by not letting them end up in the ocean i suppose

 

[cybertoaster]

well in theory they're practicing recycling by not letting them end up in the ocean i suppose

Wait until prices crash and they start flushing these things down the toilet.

 

[Yaks]

Wait until prices crash and they start flushing these things down the toilet.

I believe this will happen soon because according to the LPS nerds, a company has taken on the IP for Hasbro and will be releasing the old designs everyone wants starting in January. So while I'm sure there will be "Rare" ones they will stammer over, the actual non-resellers will be going and getting fresh new ones that weren't in a 6 year old's mouth at one point.

 

[Kalsarikännit]

However I appreciate a good aesthetic thing, it's functional in that it makes your living space feel more like a home for someone with a personality and interests. That said, I don't think entire walls filled with video game labels and anime waifu figures falls into that category.

I completely agree. For example, I have an old computer.
Is it "functional"? Yes.
Does it do anything my laptop can't? No, not really.
The aesthetic component is definitely a major reason for me owning it. I just like the way it is.

I always wonder what level of a certain number size of non-functional item an average person has to get to before the item itself no longer has value other than number go up.

Going back to my example, I think the line is when you've exhausted your initial reasons for buying whatever you bought before, and are simply buying more of the same thing, or buying things with even smaller differences for more frivolous niche uses.

Do I need 3 more of the same computer? Absolutely not, but some people still buy more anyway. And buy things that are even less aesthetically pleasing, useful, etc. Buying derivative products of derivative products. And now you're consooming.

 

[Myrtle the Turtle]

adults nowadays have been swept up in what is essentially (if not literally) toy collecting.

My working theory its a giant cope for how weak some people are. They can't adapt and thrive because they get offended when drumpf publishes a Tweet or something so they regress, turn to their childhood toys, and consoom for comfort. Also mainstream toy companies make collecting plastic garbage quasi- accomplishments; ohhh look I got the exclusive special edition at (insert generic retail store here)!!

 

[John Titor]

View attachment 5345833
What was the first fandom that normalized modern geek culture consumerism worship? I know Trekkies have been a thing for years, but being a Trekkie was considered a joke. No way mainstream. Comic cons used to be for current comic fans. Professional hot girl cosplayer wasn't a thing until the early 2000s as a full time job. Was it the brony fandom? It feels like it normalized adults watching children's cartoons and organizing online. Bronies were like furries without baggage at the time. Not to mention Bronies had a political feminist element of defying gender roles shit.

I want to say Hot Topic, which was mocked for trying to profit off of counterculture.

Also that post confuses me.

Spoiler: Mild off-topic

1) We don't really know the purpose of the Venus of Willendorf and related figures. Maybe it was caveman porn, maybe it was a self-portrait by a cavewoman, maybe it was a fertility goddess; it's a mystery. 3) While I don't know the definitive history of this piece, the most common interpretation is Picasso was associating prostitutes with pain. In fact, one of his friends hated it because he considered it menacing and unfeminine so I have no idea why the poster thinks this is fetishism.

My working theory its a giant cope for how weak some people are. They can't adapt and thrive because they get offended when drumpf publishes a Tweet or something so they regress, turn to their childhood toys, and consoom for comfort. Also mainstream toy companies make collecting plastic garbage quasi- accomplishments; ohhh look I got the exclusive special edition at (insert generic retail store here)!!

I do think consumerism might be a defense mechanism related to nostalgia and you don't even need to involve Trump with how shitty the world's becoming.

 

[Torque Wheeler]

I miss when my NES and Saturn library was embarrassing because it was lame to like old games. Now it's embarrassing for different reasons.

The worst thing for nerd culture was letting the theater kids in. Everyone blames the jocks who wear star wars hoodies but it's the theater kids who have collapsed everything I like. Check out any of the new Star Trek shows. They're so melodramatic. Give me back my boring space politics show you crackers!

 

[WelperHelper99]

I miss when my NES and Saturn library was embarrassing because it was lame to like old games. Now it's embarrassing for different reasons.

The worst thing for nerd culture was letting the theater kids in. Everyone blames the jocks who wear star wars hoodies but it's the theater kids who have collapsed everything I like. Check out any of the new Star Trek shows. They're so melodramatic. Give me back my boring space politics show you crackers!

Theater kids made collecting games gay. They post that shit online, brag about it. I just do it because it's fun, that and the possibilityof archiving it someday. They do it for clout "look at me, I got a NES copy of Mario 3!". Fucking faggots.