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Photo: Shaju John

WHAT’S NEW? Salesmen fall over themselves to point out the features of the next best thing on the market

Don’t take my word for it. Scientific studies have proved it. The subjects in a lab experiment were asked to play the sweepstakes on the computer. They were rewarded every time they clicked on a particular door, and as they continued to play, more and more doors would appear on the screen. These doors carried only the possibility, not certainty, of winning sums of varying denominations. Tell me, if you had to earn the maximum with a given number of clicks, what would you do? The wisest move would be to keep clicking on the same door that unfailingly gave you money, right? It would be like hitting the jackpot every time. However, most subjects kept trying out the other doors although they knew fully well they were not guaranteed success. The notion of options had befuddled them.

In life, however, you cannot hit the jackpot every time. And in life, one chooses an option not necessarily to make money. But the conclusion of the experiment holds good for most of us. We get confused when faced with too many choices: cars, careers, software, underwear, you name it. This leads me to my second statement:

The more choices we are offered, the fewer choices we really have.

You’ll have to trust me on this one. I have no lab experiment to back me but I could give you an example for which I wouldn’t have to look very far, just swivel my vertebrae to the right towards the TV. It is lifeless for the larger part of the day because daytime TV is mostly unwatchable. I have an ancient set which was originally capable of receiving only a dozen or so channels and which was souped up to receive 30 (by sticking a metal thingy under the front flap). Now, if I went in for a new TV which gave me over 100 channels, or even a direct satellite connection, is that really a widening of choices? I may still end up watching just a handful of programmes.

Most choices aren’t really choices. Let’s say I want to buy a nail clipper. The shopkeeper tells me, we have a great offer, just pay a little extra and you can take home this unbeatable combination of nail clipper, toaster, juice maker, electric shaver, electric can opener, and lawn mower. I tell him I have no beard and no lawn, don’t eat bread or canned food, don’t have time to peel fruit to make juice, and please can I just have the nail clipper and get the hell out of here? No, he tells me, if you want the clipper you’ll have to buy the toaster, juicer, shaver, opener and mower as well. You’ve probably encountered a more credible version of this same situation before, where your choices, having seemingly expanded, have as a matter of fact been whittled down to zero.

When it comes to electronic products, salesmen fall over themselves to point out the features of the next best thing on the market. The moment I hear the word “features” my brain stops functioning. They are never plain features, they are always special features. Features which prove that the product has more teeth, more horsepower, more muscle than - not only other brands but also - the previous model of the same brand. Problem is, older models suddenly become rare when the new ones enter the market.

Take my mobile phone. It dates back to the Neolithic Age. When I drop it, it falls apart into three pieces. I slap it together faster than a soldier assembling his weapon and it comes alive instantly. Why would I ever want to abandon such a beautifully basic model? All I need is to send and receive calls and SMS. I tell the salesman I want a battery for it and he looks at me as though I were asking for the moon. If the battery for my low-end mobile has already vanished it is highly likely that the model, too, will follow suit. Here is a showroom full of cells with every imaginable feature. Looks like I don’t have a choice, do I?

Choice is about control. Choice is about privilege. You think you’re in control of your own life, you believe you are privileged. But are you? The modern age gives you the illusion of choice to prevent you from realising what little choice you have in areas that really matter. Yes, you can choose from 16 appetising flavours whether you’re buying ice-creams or condoms but can you choose to take the day off work? You can go on a paid vacation to a foreign destination of your choice but if your boss tells you to work from morn till midnight on a Saturday, hey, you shut your trap and do as you’re told.

Some willingly forgo choice for duty. Some set it aside when faced with pressures from peers, parents or society. But a few days from now, everyone gets to choose. Know what I’m talking about? Electing your representative, of course. So many candidates. Do you really have a choice? I hope so indeed.

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