“即時(shí)滿足經(jīng)濟(jì)”并非新鮮事
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????如今的消費(fèi)者什么都想越快越好，從來(lái)沒(méi)變過(guò)。 ????“你連烤馬鈴薯都不能等嗎？” ????這是我奶奶對(duì)我父親說(shuō)的話，時(shí)間大概是在1984或1985年。父親一直想說(shuō)服奶奶買一臺(tái)微波爐來(lái)用，但奶奶當(dāng)時(shí)并沒(méi)有被說(shuō)服，不是因?yàn)楹ε螺椛?，而是因?yàn)樗X(jué)得烤馬鈴薯就應(yīng)該在傳統(tǒng)烤箱中烤一小時(shí)。不過(guò)最終她還是讓步了，還給電視配了一個(gè)遙控器。 ????我想起這件事，是因?yàn)榻裉熳x到了利茲?加恩斯探討“即時(shí)滿足經(jīng)濟(jì)”（又稱“Uber for X”現(xiàn)象）的文章?！半S叫隨到”的概念從虛擬變成了現(xiàn)實(shí)。加恩斯在想，到底這只是舊金山灣區(qū)的泡沫，還是普通美國(guó)人也正處在手機(jī)引發(fā)的生活方式變革的邊緣。 ????過(guò)去數(shù)月發(fā)生的各種不同的故事，都折射出我們的集體惰性，或者是注意力難以持久，又或者是千禧世代的自我放縱。 ????不過(guò)在我看來(lái)，今天的“即時(shí)滿足”技術(shù)和以前的微波爐或遙控器沒(méi)有什么分別，更別提飛機(jī)、汽車、洗衣機(jī)、燃?xì)饪炯?、麥?dāng)勞、文字處理軟件，或者是其它無(wú)數(shù)的創(chuàng)新。這些創(chuàng)新已經(jīng)成了幾乎所有人日常生活的一部分。 ????最有滲透力的的消費(fèi)者技術(shù)進(jìn)步總是與速度和效率有關(guān)。在富達(dá)投資（Fidelity Investments）向Uber注資數(shù)億美元之前約20年，Uber就創(chuàng)建了提供黑色轎車服務(wù)的波士頓轎車（Boston Coach）公司。出發(fā)點(diǎn)和創(chuàng)建的依據(jù)都一樣，只是實(shí)施方式不同。在波士頓轎車成立時(shí)，有人擔(dān)心過(guò)我們太懶，連在機(jī)場(chǎng)外等出租車都不愿意，或者是我們太孤僻，沒(méi)有朋友或家人愿意來(lái)接我們嗎？即便如此，現(xiàn)在還會(huì)有人譴責(zé)機(jī)場(chǎng)預(yù)約接機(jī)服務(wù)嗎？ ????隨著時(shí)間成為越來(lái)越寶貴的商品——尤其是在技術(shù)已經(jīng)將很多家庭和工作界線變得模糊不清時(shí)——不斷讓技術(shù)替我們承擔(dān)更多的日常事務(wù)（特別是在技術(shù)可以創(chuàng)造出新的服務(wù)崗位時(shí)），也就不足為怪了。沒(méi)錯(cuò)，自己親手做些事情可能有其內(nèi)在價(jià)值，但是騰出額外15分鐘來(lái)工作、陪孩子玩?；蛘咚X(jué)，可能更有價(jià)值。去干洗店取衣服和學(xué)習(xí)釣魚完全是兩碼事。 ????又回到我奶奶的例子，準(zhǔn)確的說(shuō)應(yīng)該是我爺爺。在20世紀(jì)30年代，我爺爺是第一代在美國(guó)出生的青少年。他在他父親的小雜貨店工作，工作任務(wù)之一就是從客戶那里接收電話訂單，然后走路（也可能是騎車）按訂單送貨上門。世事總在變化，但這變化并非總是像我們想象的那樣巨大……（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)） |
?????Today’s consumers want everything faster. Just like they always have. ????“Why can’t you just wait for a baked potato?” ????That was my grandmother speaking to my father, probably in 1984 or 1985. He had been trying to convince her to purchase (and use) a microwave oven. She wasn’t having it. Not so much because of radiation fears, but rather because a baked potato was supposed to take nearly one hour to cook in a conventional oven. She eventually relented. Got a remote control for the TV too. ????I was reminded of this today when reading Liz Gannes’ discussion of the instant gratification economy, otherwise known as the “Uber for X” phenomenon. The notion of ‘on-demand’ shifting from the virtual to the physical. She wonders if it’s just a Bay Area bubble, or if ordinary America is on the verge of a mobile-induced lifestyle change. ????There also have been various stories over the past few months about how all of this is a reflection of our collective laziness. Or of short attention spans. Or of millennial self-indulgence. ????But it doesn’t seem to me that today’s ‘instant gratification’ technologies are scratching any different itch than did that microwave oven or remote control. Let alone the airplane, automobile, dishwasher, gas grills, McDonald’s, word processing software or countless other innovations that have become part of almost everyone’s daily lives. ????The most pervasive consumer tech advancements always have been about speed and efficiency. Nearly two decades before Fidelity Investments pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into Uber, the firm created black car service Boston Coach. Same pain point and founding rationale, just executed differently. Did people worry when Boston Coach launched that we were too lazy to wait for a taxi outside of the airport, or so isolated that no friends or family were willing to pick us up? And, if so, is there anyone today who still would decry call-ahead airport pickup services? ????As time becomes a more and more precious commodity — particularly with technology blurring many of our home/work lines of demarcation — it isn’t surprising that we continue to ask technology to take over some of our more mundane tasks (particularly if that technology creates new service jobs). Yes, there can be inherent value in doing things for yourself, but there also can be more value in spending 15 extra minutes in the office or playing with your kid or sleeping. Picking up your own dry-cleaning isn’t exactly the same as learning to fish. ????Which brings us back to my grandmother. Or actually my grandfather, in this case. When he was a first-generation American teenager in the 1930’s, he worked in his dad’s small grocery store. One of his jobs was to take telephone orders from customers, and then walk (or possibly bike) the orders to customer homes. Things are changing. But not quite so much as we might all think… |
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