Affluenza - Culture and Society Article

By:Sramana Mitra

America in general and Silicon Valley in particular used to be on the ball. It used to operate at Silicon speed, work really hard, and produce extremely interesting innovations. A hungry, driven work-ethic permeated the culture.

Today, along with outsourcing and off-shoring, that superb work-ethic has also been shipped off to India and China. America suffers from Affluenza, while the Asian giants ride their enormous growth cycles and develop at a frantic pace.

The Internet era of the nineties gave us a fundamental discontinuity around which America organized itself. All the youthful optimism, risk-taking, willingness to work hard kicked in gear. For about six years (1994-1999) the world ate out of America’s hands, until in 2000 the Internet bubble was punctured. 2000-2005 were years ridden with terrorism and war, and an atmosphere of caution, fear, retrenching, pessimism and anger set in. The political firmament of the world saw George Bush’s closed world-view replacing Bill Clinton’s charismatic, inviting and open world-view. The economic impact of technology made globalization pick up pace, and created new markets, took jobs away from America, and created a vacuum in America’s long-standng innovation-driven hegemony.

In 2005, what then is the state of innovation? Is there a chance to recover from the lull?

I believe, the same Affluenza that is plaguing America’s work-ethic - can be tapped into, to find the next generation consumer markets.

The teenage kids of high-achieving wealthy parents (many of whom were first-generation immigrants) are chronic spenders. These are the HAVEs of America. Many of these kids have acute Affluenza and they neither work hard, nor aspire to achieve much in life. They HAVE everything. That resources in the world are finite - is a foreign concept to these kids. They all have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and hence have to be constantly entertained which creates new opportunities for marketeers to sell them new things. The iPod is a classic success story that has done a fantastic job of tapping into this segment, and its desire for the next “cool” thing.

My challenge to today’s innovators is to come up with “Edutainment” products that this segment can consume in abundance, and make you rich. But in the process, I submit, you can impart some sorely needed education to these chronic consumers. Marketeers: convince the parents of your products’ educational value, and convince the kids of the coolness value. Parents will surely open their wallets, if you can engage this perpetually distracted segment, and give them something that will serve them well in preparing for life!

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: kids, education, markets, spending, consumer

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur and Strategy Consultant Sramana Mitra writes on Entrepreneurship, Business strategy, Emerging Technologies, Market Moves, etc. in her Blog "Sramana Mitra on Strategy". Read more at www.sramanamitra.com.

Top Culture and Society Articles
1). The Controversy Over Roadside Field Sobriety Tests By : Lance Knowlton Copyright 2006 Lance Knowlton Roadside field sobriety tests (FSTs), developed at the behest of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are commonly employed by police officers during DUI stops to determine whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol. FSTs generally consist of a battery of three to five exercises, such as walking and turning in a different direction, standing on one leg, nystagmus (using the eyes to track an object), touching the finger to the nose and reciting the alphabet.
2). Recognizing The Signs Of Alcohol Abuse By : Aurel Radulescu Alcohol abuse, or alcoholism, is a serious illness that often requires immediate treatment. Not everyone knows what to look for in terms of alcohol abuse, but the truth is that there are very definitive signs that can quickly confirm the need for treatment. Many alcoholics drink because they are angry or sad, but often end up feeling guilty either while they are drinking or after the effects wear off.
3). Know Your Personality Type By : CD Mohatta Our world is made of all kinds of persons. Some do things as they have been done since ages. They talk, react, judge and act exactly as they have seen and taught. These kinds of people hate original and new ideas calling them dangerous for the world. On the other side of the spectrum are people who live life dangerously. They want to break every convention, every rule and live life on their own terms.
4). Are You A Potential Crime Victim? By : Joseph Garrio I've been in law enforcement for 17 years and have a great deal of experience working in the street and dealing with the common problems and crimes of the average person. This article addresses the common crimes that are occuring to people when removed from their homes. This is to make you aware of them and how to reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
5). Year in review - Top 12 News stories of 2005 By : paul wilson1 As yet another New Year dawns, it is time for us to look back on 2005 and view from the outside all that happened. There were joys, triumphs, and tears. That everything that happens is a learning experience is quite true. Among the many occurrences of 2005 news stories that were significant were: 1. Google made history in June 2005 as its share price made it the most highly valued media company.
6). Guide to terrorism and world markets By : Mansi gupta What worse could have happened to the US economy then the 9th September 2001? Some perverted religious fanatics demolished the embodiment of the world trade. Terrorism is a threat to all the nations of the world. The human loss due to these activities cannot be condemned with words. The ruthlessness of the terror traders has an impact on each and every segment of life.
7). Everything You Do Is Right Day By : CD Mohatta 16th March is celebrated as the day when whatever you do is right. This is a very exciting thought. I searched for the origin but could not find any clue about how this day began. What precisely does this mean - Everything you do is right. Let me put my ideas across about this day. In our everyday life whenever we do anything, it can be called right or wrong.
8). Is This Funny: Can We Develop Non-Violent Humour? By : Ivana Milojević “In its original historical meaning, a cartoon (from the Italian cartone, meaning "big paper") is a full-size drawing made on paper as a study for a further artwork, such as a painting or tapestry. In modern print media, a cartoon is an illustration, usually humorous in intent.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoons The current representation of conflict.
9). Is There Income After Peak Oil And Economic Collapse? There Is If You're Clever. By : Mick Winter Many predict that the world will soon experience an economic depression, brought on by a variety of factors, but most particularly Peak Oil - the lessening production of petroleum. (For full information on Peak Oil, see Dry Dipstick - www.drydipstick.com) No matter what happens to the economy, you'll probably still need income. Work continues even in hard times.
10). Escorts Bartering : A Great Way to an Additional Income By : Ispas Marin When it comes to escorts you should think that they can have a quite different way to make some extra income. I call this bartering. you can think about bartering as a way to get some goods and services at some very cheap ways. It's known that everybody has needs and so do escorts. In almost all the cases this needs that can turn in goods or services are easily procured trough bartering far below what the cost would be for cash.

New Culture and Society Articles
1). Broadway Offers Choice Entertainment For All By : Tom Sample Broadway has a rich history of showing live plays that can be traced back all the way to the early 1800s.
2). What Refugees Should Do Upon Entering A New Country By : John Morris You may be an immigrant and not even realize it. So be sure to fill out the proper paperwork. Many people fail to do this and as a result how long they have lived within the country may come into question...
3). Pirates of Yesterday Still Exist on the High Seas By : Jerry Cahill Remember all the stories and movies about pirates? Pirates still exist today on the high seas.
4). Fly the American Flag Respectfully and Responsibly By : Ray La Foy If your desire is to fly an American flag and follow all the customs that go along with it, read on.
5). Low Income Senior Housing, It Is All Relative By : Jerry Cahill Low income senior housing is a fast growing problem. Historically housing projects did not plan for low income senior housing. Now the need is great.
6). Choose A Wine Gift Basket That Suits The Occasion By : Brooke Hayles No matter what the occasion might be, a wine gift basket makes an ideal present. The best part is that you can personalize it by adding your personal touch to it to make it a gift to be remembered and cherished for a long time to come.
7). Go Celestial with the Celestron Telescope CPC 8 By : Anne Noonan The Celestron telescope cpc 8 is a high-end professional model with many great features for an exquisite look at the heavens. Its formal name is Celestron CPC 800 Professional Computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope. This Celestron telescope cpc 8 offers easy and quick alignment and GPS, with quality of optics that is unbeatable. Set up is fast and easy, and the Celestron cpc8 is made for ergonomically correct study of the star.
8). Best Rated Gas Grills Under $300 By : Judy Simpson The first of the best rated gas grills under $300 is the Brinkman Pro Series 2210. A very basic grill, it offers a 636 total square inch area for cooking, which is very large in comparison to most in this price range. Its 12000 btu burning capacity is not that powerful, but it does offer three burners. While the cart on this gas bbq is not as sturdy as it could be the burners are made of cast iron and should last a very long time.
9). Best Prom Dress By : Kent Pinkerton Prom night is the most exciting night of high school life-and the most looked forward to. It is the night for dressing up in your best attire and creating an impression that would last as long as your childhood memories. Dressing up for the prom night is every girl's dream. Prom dresses are generally formal party gowns, long and delicately stunning.
10). Has TV helped the Online Psychic Readings Industry ? By : moonwhisper Moonwhisper.com as well as many other psychic reading websites has proven that the internet is a viable venue for professional psychics to display their services and provide an obviously very lucrative service to the major players in the online psychic reading industry. With an increasing demand for high quality and affordable psychic advice rising daily smaller websites are finding it easier to break into this niche market and take psychic service promotions to the next level with a complete line of co branded services on the web.