I’ve been a tad obsessed with the iPhone and it’s a little concerning. I’m wondering what else is going on with me. Why do I feel like I “need” an iPhone? I know this is a manufactured want and I don’t need an iPhone. But dang it, they are handy tools. You’d think after all my simple living advocacy I wouldn’t have such a strong attraction to gadgets.
Speaking of consumerism, I discovered a cool blog this week called obsessive consumption by Kate Bingaman-Burt. Kate is an artist, graphic designer and professor. Bitch Magazine recently interviewed Kate and said she “is not what a mental picture of the word ‘consumer’ generally conjures up.”
by Kate Bingaman-Burt from obsessive consumption
She wears thrift-shop smocks over her jeans. She doesn’t carry an It bag, or a Wal-Mart bag. She bikes most places. And she found her dog on the side of a Mississippi highway. But consumption is literally her business…Bingaman-Burt began documenting her purchases in 2002 with the website Obsessive Consumption, photographing every single thing she bought and archiving the receipts online.
In 2004, she moved on to drawing her monthly credit-card statements, creating lovingly hand-lettered facsimiles in a kind of consumer penance. And in 2006, she launched the monthly zine What Did You Buy Today? in which she draws simple, quirky pen-and-ink reproduction of prosaic daily purchases and writes about their significance.
Go check out the latest issue of Bitch Magazine (it’s all about consumption) and Kate’s blog!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh man! Kate’s blog is the best. It may be a good way to curb spending if you have to draw and post each purchase. Love it, thanks for the new reading material. =)
I had a similar obsession with getting an iphone (ok, I still do). I ended up filling that need with some books from the library about people living without technology. So far I’ve resisted, but every year I’ll admit that I inch a little closer to taking the iphone’s plunge. Read my post here: http://seeinggreen.org/2008/01/01/better-off-flipping-the-switch-on-technology/.
Hope it helps to know that you are not alone.
@A. Kane – it is good to know I’m not alone. I finally decided that I can’t justify the cost of an iPhone (at least not yet), but I’ll probably get an iTouch. We’ll see.
I’ll go check out your post. Thanks for the link!
@Shane – yay! I’m glad you like Kate’s blog. She is SO talented. I wish I had the ability to draw.
I bought an iPhone two years ago, and it’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Not having to carry both my cell and my iPod, as well as the Apps avaliable on it are dead useful. In my opinion, if you’ve been debating for weeks, just get one. Whether you’re buying an iPhone or buying an iTouch, you’re still buying something, so you might as well buy the item that you’ve been so curious about. I’m all about simplifying and being cautious with one’s finances, but that shouldn’t include denying yourself any extras. And if you don’t like it, at least you’ll know.
Thanks Laurel. I’ve decided to go with an iTouch for now. Eventually, we will upgrade to an iPhone. But right now I can’t justify the cost of the iPhone. It’s twice as much as my Sprint bill. So for now I think the touch will be a great investment. And when we do upgrade to the iPhone, I’ll give the Touch to a family member or friend.
Hi, Tammy. I don’t want to try and convince you of anything, simply share my experience with the iPhone. (For full disclosure, I’ve been know to be somewhat of a gadget freak.)
I put off buying one until they came out with the iPhone 3Gs and then I simply could not resist any longer. I have pursued (and finally caught up with) a simple and minimalist lifestyle. The iPhone, rather than making my life more complicated, actually had the opposite effect. The iPhone replaced my current cell phone, my GPS, my camera, my video camera, and even the Kindle I had not yet purchased. I recently took a tiny, 4-week, 7,000-mile road trip and I hesitantly left my laptop at home and brought only the iPhone. I never missed the laptop! I was able to stay in touch as well as if I was at home and I actually was less obsessed with checking my emails because I simply relied on the push notification. I did not have to drive around looking for a wireless hotspot and I had great connectivity throughout most of the trip. I took all of my pics and videos with the iPhone and very easily uploaded them to my Facebook page for everyone to see (and also to YouTube and Flickr). By the end of the trip I had over 500 photos and videos on my iPhone and it only took a few minutes to upload everything to my iPhoto library.
I still rarely use my laptop and instead rely mostly on the iPhone. It’s always right there and ready to go and has integrated so thoroughly into my life that it is mostly transparent. And it only uses 1 amp!
Hi Chris – Thanks for reading and sharing your iPhone experiences. I’m leaning toward purchasing an iPhone, but the cost holds me back. I’ll keep you posted on our decision making process.
Your trip sounds like an awesome experience! Did you travel by car or bike?
I traveled by van. I bought a 26-year-old van that was in excellent shape and got over 20 mpg and camped in that the whole way. I consumed way too much gas, but I sure had a good trip! I saw lots of friends and family on the way and now I’m ready to settle in for the winter. Now to go check out your new photoblog!