Final WP#2 with revision suggestions

Here are some revisions that I would make to my WP#2:

I would compare more sources to each other. If I had done that, I could have ensured that all sides of the topic had been covered. I also would have found more reputable sources. For my final paper I used different sources that weren’t included in WP#2, so I would also add them in a revision.
I also didn’t evaluate well how each source helps me understand my topic or audience.
Finally, I would write the bibliography more formally. Looking back I realize that my tone was quite informal, which probably isn’t appropriate for that kind of assignment.

Here is my WP#2 that i turned in as the final;

WP#2 Bibliography Final


This issue that I’m exploring is, why do people need to buy the latest toys and high tech gadgets? I’m exploring the psychology of that need.



Heath, J., & Potter, A. (2002). The Rebel Sell: If we all hate consumerism, how come we
This Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2007
http://www.thismagazine.ca/issues/2002/11/rebelsell.php

This article is about consumerism. Or rather, is against consumerism. It takes two movies and talks about how they illustrate the pitfalls of consumerism. One movie is Fight Club and the other is American Beauty. Both critique society’s need to buy more. But the author says that capitalism creates that need to buy more. The movies though, like people, claim to be anti-consumer (or subversive consumers) yet fail, because they still consume. The author seems a bit “out there” politically and sounds angry. Still, his point is valid and may be useful when I talk about how capitalism may be one contributor to our desire (need?) to own the latest tech toy. Oddly enough, his answer to advertising (which creates the need for “stuff”) is to tax it.



Jones, K.C. (2007, June 26) Meet the People Waiting in Line for an iPhone. Information
Week. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070627/tc_cmp/200000853

This article is fascinating because, like the one below, it talks about the long lines to buy a new high-tech gadget. This time it’s the iPhone. Most people think that the folks waiting in line are young and geeky. But this article interviews a retiree who is the first person in line. What’s interesting about him is that he doesn’t intend to resell the phone for a profit, he just thinks he should have it because we’re in the age of technology and he wants to keep on top of it. However, he doesn’t own too many other hot products. So what makes him want an iPhone? Perhaps the strength of the brand is influencing this man, although the article also states that he has waited in lines for other things. I’ll use this to think about why people stand in line. Maybe people have different reasons based on the gadget itself, and that stereotypes or theories can’t be applied across all markets. This is something I’ll have to look into. Again, this is like primary research into the reasoning behind waiting in line, so I’ll probably quote this directly.



McKeand, D. (2002). Cabbage Patch Kids. The St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture.
Gale Group. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100197

This article talks about the popularity of Cabbage Patch Kids in the 1980s. It is a good article because it talks about how this toy is the first “personalized” or individualized toy—no two alike were produced. It also talks about how the back story (the history of each doll) added to its popularity. This relates to another source I have about how toy companies can create their own buzz and frenzy. This article states that the back story added to the popularity of the toys. The article actually came from an encyclopedia, which implies it’s a good source, but… it’s an encyclopedia of pop culture. However, the author presents a very balanced view about the dolls and talks about some parents’ objections to Cabbage Patch Kids. I’ll most definitely use the Cabbage Patch Kids as an example of a super-popular toy and the beginning of the lines.



Schiesel, S., Zaun, T. (2004). Finding Glamour in the Gadget. The New York Times.
Retrieved July 13, 2007.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=technology&res=9F05E0DA143BF936A25757C0A9629C8B63

This article is an interesting look at high end goods and how the marketing tactics used to sell them will be employed by technology companies. Technology companies want to sell the experience of owning the product, as evidenced by the quote by the Sony Executive. This article gives an interesting insight into the minds of the marketers. I will use this first hand quote to show how they try and sell to people.



Staff. (2006, November 17) Sony’s PS3 makes US debut to long lines, short supplies.
USA Today. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-11-17-ps3-debut_x.htm

I found this article in USA Today. The author didn’t really a bias, although the report focused on the rowdiness that ensued in the lines waiting for the PS3. So perhaps the author is showing that the crowds for these toys gets out of control, or that the situation itself is ridiculous. I would use this story in two ways. First, it illustrates how popular the PS3 was. It talks about how long people stood in line to buy it. Second, it interviews people’s reasons for doing it, so perhaps I can use those and try to analyze them through a psychological angle. Because I can’t find primary sources, this might be the closest I come to hearing directly from consumers why they stand in line. This is a good source for real life examples.



Zeven, P. (2006, December 18) Do people need the gizmos we’re selling?
Retrieved July 7, 2007.
http://news.com.com/Do+people+need+the+gizmos+were+selling/2010-1041_3-6144335.html

This is a great commentary on the usefulness of gadgets that are being sold. This is an interesting contrast to the research I’m trying to do because it talks about how people don’t need the high-tech things being sold today. In fact, the article states, these gadgets actually complicate lives because they’re so complex and take forever to learn how to use. This source is good because it provides a contrary point of view, but I wouldn’t call it an authoritative source. It’s just one guy’s opinion. The article mentioned that the vast majority of consumers probably have at least one electronic gadget that they don’t fully know how to use. So, it made me wonder, who is standing in line for these high tech toys? Maybe it’s a really small subset of the population. For most of this research I’ve thought that these new gadgets advance our lives and make it better, so I’ll use this as a counter argument.



How consumerism affects society, the economy and the Environment.
Retrieved July 12, 2007. http://www.verdant.net/society.htm#howaffects

This article is fascinating because it talks about how immigrants aren’t affected by consumerism until their second generation. This seems to imply that it’s a learned behavior. The article as a whole is anti-consumerism and says that we don’t need the things that are forced upon us, yet we still buy them. The article says that commercials (advertising), the status (you’re cool) that you get when you own them, and the fact that everyone else has one are the things that drive consumerism. While the article is interesting, it is on a site that is totally anti-consumerism. This is this author’s philosophy. Like the previous source, the author seems to be politically “out there” and angry at society. He seems to be writing to change our minds about the things we buy, to be persuasive. Although this isn’t a reputable source (like a newspaper), it’s another presentation of an idea that’s counter to my own. I would use it to show another perspective.



The Toys and history of toys from last 80 years. (2007).
Retrieved July 7, 2007. http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/toys.html

This is a brief history of popular toys. As technology advances, it usually is due to children’s toys. Toys often lead the charge, bringing to the populace in an affordable package early. This in turn leads to people wanting a better more advanced product. This article isn’t a strong source—it basically just provides a starting place for me to get an idea of what products I should research more thoroughly. It’s not a well-respected source, but for a simple quote about the rise of the Cabbage Patch Kid, I thought it would be ok. It’s certainly not as reputable as some of the major publications I have found.



These sources have shown me some other ways to look at this—what is the media’s role in creating demand? What fault do the marketers have? How is capitalism responsible for the lines that form three days before a new video game comes out?