Ep42. 想成為一個更貪戀物質的人

之前係instagram嘅「你問我答」入面，有唔少人問我點樣先至可以睇多啲書，又或者點樣先可以肯定自己記得書嘅內容。於是我其中一個答案就係要間書。由以前溫書嘅年代，直到畢業出黎做野、睇書，我一直都係唔錫書嘅人。凡係我睇過嘅書，通常個cover page我都會印個embossing，然後我又會寫低我幾時開始睇呢本書，有陣時會寫埋啲key themes，同埋一路揭會有啲highlight或者underline等等。我當時喺instagram就講笑話咁係我嘅佔有慾太強掛。於是就令我聯想到乜嘢係佔有、擁有嘅概念。

問大家一個問題，對比上一輩或者十年前嘅自己，你覺得我哋擁有嘅嘢多咗定係少咗？今次要同大家分享嘅係Vox喺四月廿一日嘅文章《The Erosion of Personal Ownership》By Dan Greene，副題為「Everything from your fridge to your tractor can change without your permission」【1】。文章探討嘅係我哋個人擁有嘅事物隨著科技好似越來越隨手可得，但其實係變得越來越少。文章嘅開首作者講到自己最近搬屋，女朋友問佢嗰兩箱DVD仲要唔要，於是佢就諗，而家我哋都有好多digital purchase啦，其實我要睇呢啲戲，隨便喺網上面都買到、睇到。作者話：「Still, something more than nostalgia made me balk. Streaming requires continued payments to rent access to a library prone to changes beyond my control. Digital purchases come with byzantine restrictions and often rely on that platform’s continued existence and a sustained, quality internet connection.」網上串流嘅影片需要持續嘅收費先可以keep住過membership或者access佢個library，而呢啲亦都依賴平台唔會突然執笠，又或者我哋又冇得上網。作者用DVD作為一個例子，由2006年至2019年，DVD嘅銷量下跌咗86%，隨之而來嘅係video streaming service；又例如音樂，早喺2011年digital music就已經超越咗實體嘅銷量，5年之後streaming or subscription又超過咗digital music。佢都有提到NFT，最近咪好多人講NFT art嘅，會唔會第時我哋subscribe to Christie's、Sotheby's或者我哋鍾情嘅boutique gallery或獨立創作者，喺屋企嘅畫框入面唔再係藝術品而係4K mon，等我可以隨心情、時間租借或享受佢哋細心curate、獨一無二嘅藝術品呢？科技令萬物隨手可得，但我哋係咪真係擁有呢啲嘢呢？

幻想吓有一日我不在人世，我淨返嘅係一堆cookies同埋我嘅digital library，而唔係我鍾意嘅實體書、藝術品等等。文章話：「Imagine the difference in feeling between inheriting a grandparent's books and their ebooks」，即時打咗個折！一個咁簡單嘅比較已經突顯到我哋對一樣實體嘅物品所寄託嘅感情遠比虛擬嘅事物強。一樣我哋可以隨手觸碰、睇到、聞到嘅物件，相比起一樣虛擬嘅藝術品其實極其量都係喺電腦入面，實體嘅都只係一部電腦。簡單嘅例子係，通常人哋話要儲錢，咪話唔好用信用咭用現金嘅，因為睇住實體嘅銀紙冇咗，個感覺同睇到網上銀行存款額嘅數值跌幾個數字相差甚遠。就算第時有virtual reality，可以stimulate都我哋嘅感官，入面嘅事物好似真嘅一樣，但都係好似唔可以相提並論，點解呢？因為VR都係依靠上唔上到網，有無enough data processing capability，有無電。似乎一樣實體嘅物品同虛擬世界入面嘅物品，唔同嘅除咗係我哋掂唔掂到，仲係實體世界嘅事物唔需要depend on factors we can't control。

上面提到我哋擁有虛擬同實體物件，兩者所投放嘅感情有分別，亦都提到我哋係咪能夠控制我哋所謂「擁有」嗰樣嘢。另一個可以sum up我哋講嘅嘢嘅概念，就係access vs ownership。《Making It Up》係一個我好鍾意嘅podcast by Eugene Kan and Charis Poon【2】，佢哋每個禮拜都會分享同討論兩篇睇過嘅文章。第110集提到Alex Danco係2019年嘅文章，名為《Everything is Amazing, But Nothing is Ours》【3】，當中就講到access同ownership嘅概念。其中我特登抄低咗，但係一直都搵唔到一集可以講。今次遇到Vox嘅文章我就知道this is it！Alex Danco話（其實佢都係reference另一個作者，但我唔再cite喇咁搞法天光都未講完 ）：「Worlds of scarcity are made out of things. Worlds of abundance are made out of dependencies.」我唔係好識點樣翻譯，但係我get到嘅係，當我哋嘅世界係made out of things即係實體嘅嘢，我哋就會有scarcity；但如果我哋嘅世界係made out of dependencies一環串一環，我哋就有abundance。科技加速全球化，而全球化即係我哋同世界嘅連結變得無可分割，naturally我哋應該有abundance，which is right，好多嘢我哋隨手可及。但至於呢一集開頭所講，我哋所謂嘅「ownership」原來係要倚靠咁多嘅不可控制因素，就唔係真正嘅ownership。我哋知道視之為理所當然嘅abundance亦可以係岌岌可危。或者我再解釋多啲：我哋而家或未來所擁有嘅只會係越來越多嘅「spread or distributed ownership」，靠嘅係越來越多嘅dependencies。當everything is connected, losing one thing = lose many other things。科技令我哋嘅access越多，真正擁有嘅嘢越少。我哋究竟想要真實嘅scarcity，但係虛假嘅abundance呢？

所以文章開頭問，我哋比起十年前擁有嘅嘢，無論係數量同意義上都係相對地少咗。上面講到數量上其實係少咗：就算我哋可以隨手可得嘅物質多咗（access），但係我哋真正擁有嘅嘢（ownership）係少咗。就算我哋真係有ownership、真正擁有嘅嘢，佢哋嘅意義都遠比以前低。正正係因為我哋嘅物質隨手可得，我哋反而唔會諗得太多。越容易access嘅嘢，就越難有啲咩意義。我聽屋企人講，以前一年只係會買幾套衫，每一套都如獲至寶。而家我哋隨時買到十幾廿件衫，佢哋每一件嘅意義近乎零。幻想下一個介紹某個偉人嘅展覽，以前可以show佢著過嘅衫、用過嘅筆、睇過嘅書。但係幾十年後，假設再做同一個展覽，可以有1000件衫，幾萬首喺iTunes嘅歌、喺Pinterest收藏嘅幾萬張圖、電腦save低嘅幾百個files，但係可能都唔能夠反映到嗰個人嘅性格、喜好。我哋成日話某個人好「物質」、「materialistic」，買好多嘢。其實我係覺得買好多嘢嘅人先至唔materialistic嘅。如果你真係咁物質，點解可以完全唔知嗰樣嘢係邊度嚟，用咩材料、邊個整，個牌子代表啲咩？買越多嘢嘅人先越唔物質，因為佢哋冇細心斟酌過點解要買。所以我想成為一個真正materialistic嘅人，喺可行嘅情況底下用一啲代表到自己同價值觀嘅嘢，我覺得先係真正擁有緊我擁有嘅嘢。

最後最後，呢個亦都係一個循環：我擁有嘅嘢亦都可以提醒我究竟我追求嘅價值係啲咩。Vox嘅文章提到，York University嘅Professor Russell Belk提出嘅概念「extended self」，用來形容一個人會將佢哋擁有嘅嘢融入對自己嘅認識、理解（"how humans incorporate their belongings into their self-conception").「The greater control we exercise, the more closely allied with self the object should become... When we own something, it becomes us. We've imprinted on it. 」對物件嘅控制程度越高，我哋就越會將自己同嗰樣物件『睇齊』。所以我哋呢一代嘅challenge唔係點樣追求物質，而該點樣追求有意義嘅物質。所以希望今集為我嘅佔有慾平反！我期望大家都可以成為一個更加物質、更加奄尖、更加有佔有慾嘅人。

【1】https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22387601/smart-fridge-car-personal-ownership-internet-things

【2】https://anchor.fm/maekanitup/episodes/110-Access-instead-of-ownership-and-reseller-luxury-e98ait

【3】https://alexdanco.com/2019/10/26/everything-is-amazing-but-nothing-is-ours/