The London property market is getting more and more expensive, so it makes sense that young buyers are finding they need to ‘compromise’ to get their foot on the housing ladder – moving to less popular, less central areas is all part of London’s evolution, and buyers are expecting less and less space as they go further out. But is having less space really a compromise?
More space costs more to furnish, more to heat, and gives you more room to keep more stuff, while today’s young workforce is trying to minimize all of this.
Are we suffering from Stuffocation?
James Wallman’s book Stuffocation (www.stuffocation.org) describes that, the consumer culture of the west is starting to wane; people are finding that more does not mean better. He looks at this from a range of angles and all the indicators seem to be pointing in the same direction. The new digital generation coming of age now can be viewed from various intellectual perspectives:
- Political scientists say they have grown up in relative stability and therefore don’t feel the need to hoard material goods
- Environmentalists will tell you that the threat of global warming has meant a greater consciousness of consumption
- Psychologists note that earning more and buying more doesn’t equate to happiness
- Economists also point out that in a world of rising costs and stagnating incomes, most people simply do not have the money to keep buying more stuff
- Technologists tell us the reason why we are turning away from material goods is, actually, because we can. After all, what’s the point of owning physical books and CDs when you can access them from the cloud?
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