You Bought the Wrong TV Silly Head!!

Our society is addicted to technology.Everywhere you look someone is using it: students typing papers and surfing the internet; a TV playing in a doctor’s office; teens dancing down the street to the sound of their iPods; pedestrians and drivers alike texting and talking on their phones; a GPS mapping the way to a new destination; and the list goes on. We find comfort in our technology and feel naked and helpless without it. We depend on it and trust it. Technology companies lure us into the trap of their addicting products and keep us coming back for more by employing fear tactics. You may be asking, “How do they do this?” Well, I’ll tell you.

The initial attraction of technology is its portrayal as convenient, useful, stylish, and necessary. The trap snaps cleanly shut when we are convinced to purchase our first technological gadget and, consequently, become hooked on the product. We may decide later on that a particular brand serves us better than another, but the first gadget purchase creates a gateway for more gadgets to worm their way into our lives. In no time at all we are surrounded by technology.

 

Soon after, we form unhealthy attachments to our devices and experience feelings of anxiety, discomfort, and even panic when they malfunction or go missing. However, fear of being without technology is only tip of the iceberg. Technology companies appeal to our fear even more when we realize each new toy is becoming out of date as soon as we walk out of the store with it. 

The Best Buy “Buy Back” commercial is the best example of this powerful fear tactic.

The commercial emphasizes how fast moving technology is. Months, days, or even seconds after you purchase a new TV, phone or laptop, a newer and better one is on the market. Best Buy makes us, the concerned consumer, an offer we can’t resist: “Buy technology now! We’ll buy it back from you as soon as it becomes obsolete, so you can happily purchase the newer gadget as soon as it comes out. Never again worry about being left behind technologically!!” The commercial spotlights the fear that we wasted our money on bad or out-of-date technology. The classic line, “You bought the wrong TV silly head,” calls special attention to our fear of buying the wrong product. With this funny but fear-inducing commercial, Best Buy identifies a problem (fast moving technology), our resulting anxiety (we can never keep up with technological advances), and offers a fool-proof solution (buy your products from Best Buy and they’ll buy them back when they’re out-of-date). The success of this tactic is inevitable. Not only are consumers addicted to the products, but now they feel compelled to continue purchasing in order to quell their new-found anxieties. However, the ideals emphasized by our preoccupation with technology are polar opposites of what Christ desires for our lives.

In Psalms 49:12 it says, “Man, despite his riches, does not endure.” Western culture emphasizes material wealth. We build up our image—another fundamental ideal of our society—by owning stuff. Addiction to technology is just one manifestation of our desire for earthly possessions. When we become consumed with desire for technology and possessions, they detract from our relationship with God. We believe that technology will fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts.

We force God into the background as we allow our fear of owning obsolete technology to occupy our minds. What does it say about us as Christians when we allow business’ fear-marketing to get such a strong hold on us? Out-of-date technology is insignificant compared to the power of God. He is our ultimate source of strength and protection, comfort and peace. Possessions, technology included, will never be sufficient to fulfill us.

That's not to say that technology isn't a blessing. It allows us to accomplish many tasks that would otherwise be overwhelming. But we must be careful not to become addicted to it and fall prey to the marketing “fear traps” laid out for us. We must trust that God will support and carry us in the moments when technology is not enough. There is nothing that can compare to or replace Him in our lives. When we fear the Lord and become addicted to Him, our lives will reach a whole new level of fulfillment.