Cultural Influences on Habits and the Habitual
Although a very difficult read, Chun (2016) offers a few interesting arguments worth delving into. The standout is her take on why habits are formed, arguing that habits are formed by manufactured (technical) disruptions, wholly for product developers' and/or service providers' financial gain. This isn't new phenomena. Otherwise known as "planned obsolescence," the business strategy was first established by the automotive industry in the early twentieth century. Today, it's leveraged across a multitude of industries, becoming a cornerstone of a capitalistic economy. This connection between the past and the present upholds the notion that technology, in and of itself, doesn't create new phenomena, but rather, it's serves to deliver and spread widely known (and studied) phenomena in novel ways and environments (Baym, 2015; Ellison & boyd, 2013; Ellison, 2015).
Critically examining Chun's (2016) analysis, there's much more to assess. The book's focus falls squarely on user habits and how addiction provokes reliance on technology, to the point of conforming to "upgrades" (Chun, 2016). However, technology isn't built or used in a vacuum and forced upgrades can't be solely attributed to addiction. What's missing from the analysis is America's transition from an industrial to service oriented economy, how its society manifests a culture of fear, and the drivers behind the social construction of technology. All of these circumstances contribute to the formation of individual and collective habits.
America's transition industrial to service is a crucial factor. Habit is fueled by economic realities, namely, the closure of brick and mortar, and small businesses. The ushering of standalone e-commerce retailers (e.g. Shopify, QVC, and Overstock) and big box operations (e.g. Walmart, Target, and Amazon) places limits on market competition and purchasing options. Americans are increasingly forced to buy goods online due to product exclusivity, price deduction and/or convenience -- fabricating habit formation stemming from need.
It's very difficult (and sometimes unconvincing) to propose theories about technology use that discount non-technological cultural influences. For instance, America embraces a culture of fear -- a fear of hardship. Chun (2016) partly eludes to this in her description of individualism versus collectivism. However, explicit details are warranted. Explications specific to the politics surrounding the need to develop technology skills for attaining well-paying jobs, doing more in less time, and the need to consume knowledge and news are uncompromisable. More than ever, earning a living, managing everyday life, and staying informed are new cultural norms that rely on adopting habits and the habitual. Paucity drives fear, be it economic disadvantage or loss of social capital. Again, these cultural conditions don't always lead to addiction, but rather social re-engineering and conditioning. Opting out of the habitual presents legitimate concerns about prosperity, specifically, ability to find work, support families, and maintain lifestyle and status.
Furthermore, the social construction of technology also plays a certain role. Americans celebrate of technology. Generally speaking, it's uncool to have an outdated device.; weird to opt-out of social network platforms; awkward to converse with disconnected individuals; and natural to see software engineers as rockstars. Technology use has become an integral to our individual and collective identity -- unconsciously woven into self-esteem, American nationalism, and generational definitions. Exacerbating matters is technology exposure during early childhood. Here, habits are ingrained, establishing no frame of comparative reference. As such, habits may have less to do with addiction, and more strongly linked to the immersion and pervasiveness that lead to addiction.
The aforementioned social conditions as root causes are largely discounted from Chun's (2016) book. Understandably, research doesn't ever account for all possible variables. However, this scholarly contribution leaves much in the balance. putting forth an incomplete picture of habit formation and the habitual.
