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What’s Old is New Again
Are we at a consumerism inflection point?
I keep seeing it: instances of circularity in the zeitgeist, where older and simpler is preferred in lieu of the latest and greatest. Viable, lucrative businesses being built on the exchange of contemporary preowned or plainly old things. An overarching cultural fondness for a rewind (Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, anyone?). A push for cutting out modern noise.
Sure: cars are safer, we have infinite knowledge and abilities at our fingertips, and there are about 10,000 options for protein powder on Amazon. But I shudder to imagine a world where we all ride in (not drive) Teslas, rarely break gaze from screens, and consume pill meals.
Even now I wonder — what did we do before we could buy vegan, gluten-free, wholly plant-derived, high-fiber, low-sugar, low-carb, collagen-and-turmeric-spiked protein powder??
Somehow we survived on protein from whole foods, and weren’t completely anemic or inflamed.
But seriously. I’ve noticed a thing: the world’s early adopters are heeding the research, on climate change, on attention economics, and on mental health, or simply pushing back against the mainstream capitalistic prescriptions, and opting for old things rather than cutting-edge innovations.
