Does on Demand Media Reduce People's Self Worth?

Let's go back in time about 100 years. The industrial revolution is in full swing, the rich and upper class have a "fancy" automobile, and the intellectuals of the community spend a lot of time having people over to smoke cigars, drink wine, and have long discussions in their personal library or study. Even just a couple decades ago, if you walked into a private residence and discovered an enormous shelf full of books, it could be a little intimidating and odds are, the person who lived there did that on purpose. People love to intimidate each other any way they can, it's just human nature. Cave dwellers with the biggest cave or nicest tools probably did the same thing. "Look at my sharp stick! It's better than yours so I will display it on my cave wall for all to see".

There is no doubt that showing off has some appeal to human beings. Even small children will do it to each other on a regular basis. In High School it reaches its apex for many as they have to have the latest fashions, $150 shoes, and phones that are nicer than someone else's. What this does is increase a person's self worth. They have nicer things and therefore feel better about themselves in some way. Society places demands on people (especially young people) and if they don't measure up, it could lead to problems with self-esteem and depression.

Do material possessions really make a difference in someone's perception of self worth? Absolutely. For some, the need to have the coolest gadgets or the biggest collection of DVD's around can make them feel better about themselves. This doesn't apply to everyone of course and a lot of people will be able to internally improve their self worth later in life. Unfortunately, a lot of people won't be able to do this and will buy up everything they can so they can feel "superior" to someone else even if in reality it doesn't really matter and a lot of the time, others won't really care.

Today, technology has advanced to the point that a lot of people's "collections" simply don't matter anymore. I can watch any movie I want on the PC, PS3, or Xbox 360 with Netflix or simply searching the Internet for live streams of what I want to watch. The CD industry is taking its last breath, the need for a public library is vanishing as E-books are becoming more popular, and DVDs are only needed if you want to watch something that can't simply be streamed to your TV or PC.

The days of showing off your huge DVD collection are over. I don't care if you have every DVD box set of M.A.S.H. because I can watch every episode of every show ever made either for free or for about $10/month. People laugh at you if you show off your CD collection. It can every Rolling Stones song ever made but I can show you my generic $40 iPod that has all of those plus 300 other songs. Did you scratch your favorite CD or DVD? Haha! You can't scratch what isn't actually there. Spill nacho cheese on your 1st edition Moby Dick? It scrapes right off my Kindle.

The paperback book industry is teetering on the very edge right now and will end up with the CDs and DVDs in the next 10 years or so. Older people (over 50) are more likely to sit down with a paperback book or carry one around with them. Younger people (over 30) may be more inclined to use E-books if they can afford an E-reader like the Kindle or have a laptop with them often. The newest generation (under 20) might not ever have a need to go out and buy a book at all. Phones, PDAs, netbooks, and laptops will allow you to read most books written and they are significantly cheaper than buying a new hardcover or older paperback.

So who is actually losing some self worth as technology improves? It's sad to say but the older generations are. As technology improves, that old man with 300 books about botany and a huge garden doesn't feel useful anymore. Local people who have gardens used to come to him for advice as to why their tomato plants were yellow but that age has already been gone for almost 10 years. Why ask the old man when you can Google it from your phone as you're looking at your plant?

As of a few years ago, I own maybe 1 book, a handful of kids DVDs that are copies so I don't have to spend $20 each time the Blue's Clues DVD gets scratched, and maybe 3 CDs. Do I feel like I've lost any self worth? Not at all but that's because I embrace new technology and it excites me. My grandmother uses new technology as well but many people still don't like it. I admit E-readers need some work before they become more mainstream but the other forms of media are facing extinction. It won't be long before a Library is a few rows of E-readers on chains and a few rows of PCs.

It's kind of sad that people begin to feel bad as their lifelong collections become obsolete to the community but they will still have that niche of people who will praise them for their amazing 1st edition collection or video game library but that will pass too.

I love on demand media and am excited about where it is heading. It's the older generations who are impacted the most by this change (including teachers) but if they can embrace it, they should feel just as good about themselves. They can always post pictures of their mega media collections on Facebook or something, right?