Design Methodology

Why is it that we want our belongings to do more for us than to function well?
In today’s society it’s not about what the piece of equipment does, it’s how it looks more than anything I think. This is very true with me; I’d rather have something that's a bit more expensive which does the same as another piece of equipment that isn’t as attractive. This happens with a lot of people, and don’t think you’re a snob if this is you. It’s natural to want nice things.
My view is that we want nice things because we want them to look better than everyone else’s. For example, say I bought a mobile phone. Now, this mobile phone does everything that normal mobile phone would... but it looks really cool – its black shiny and everything. But it’s a tad more expensive. I’d go for that one, where as my friend who may not be able to afford the posh one would go for another.
People buy expensive things because they secretly want people to see them and comment.
The example I’m using is my laptop, because it’s all shiny and new. I’ll be honest and say I bought it because it looked pretty. I went to PC World with £700 to spend on a laptop but saw this one that was way over my price range and had to have it. It did the same things as the others, maybe a little bit better, but it looked so much more aesthetically pleasing than the others.
Why are we willing, as soon as we can afford it, to pay extra for things with appealing forms?
This could be because of many things. Mostly I think it’s because people want to be better than their friends and by having the ‘best’ gadgets, they think they can become popular with other people if it’s only for a short while.
Peer pressure could account for some people spending more money on better looking items, e.g. a boy or girl might buy something because all their friends have it and they want to fit in.
Some people just like to have the best things that money can afford, and that means paying extra for objects as soon as they can afford too.
I think though, if everyone had a choice, that they would go for the more expensive object of the same grade than the cheaper one that doesn’t look as nice. I know I would... wouldn’t you?