{a thread} headphones + flooding the zone
I think it's worth paying attention, when we look at consumer behavior + feelings about "the economy," to how we're all experiencing something like this all the time: My headphones broke a month ago. (True story.) (Not a request for advice.)
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
I've been using an old pair I found around the house, but they hurt my ears. I spend a lot of time in headphones, so today I looked around for new ones. All I want: – Wired headphones – Super comfy – Reasonably priced – Exact copy of my beloved Logitech H800s
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
No reason to shop local for this; it's not like they're manufactured here, and local places will have limited options that are hard to research on the spot (or empty shelves). So online it is.
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
Buying electronics from a random google search result seems like a great way to get ripped off, so I go to Amazon. (I know there's a strike. I haven't given them money. Bear with me here.)
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
The H800s aren't made any more. Of course. And all Logitech's current offerings look cheaply-made or uncomfy. In the reviews for the one relatively relevant product are dire warnings: don't try it with Windows 11, there's only a Bluetooth option and Win11 Bluetooth is terrible.
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
I flip through pages of the other search results, many of which aren't relevant to my wired-headphone (or at least wireless w/ dongle) search terms. Most of them look horribly uncomfy or like they'd last two weeks.
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
The only brand name I trust is Bose, but $200 for headphones is way out of my price range, and who knows if their products are now crappy? I think I see another brand name I know, but it turns out to be a brand named close enough to Sennheiser to siphon off careless customers.
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
I decide I'm not desperate enough to pay $100 for a "renewed" set of my original H800s ($72 when they were new). I close all my search tabs, frustrated, purchase-less and with my ears aching from another night in terrible headphones.
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
No, none of this is urgent, or tragic. But American consumers live in a world of abundance where almost everything, even if it's very expensive, is crap. Our zones are flooded with shit — shitty products, shitty information, shitty advertising, shitty people in charge — all the time.
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
And our hyper-capitalist and hyper-individualistic culture means that if we choose the wrong piece of shit, we'll get blamed for it, or told that if we just try again — choose another piece — then surely it'll be the right one this time if we're deserving.
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:51 PM
(And yes, I know it's tempting to suggest how you'd go about it differently, or optimize my process. Resist, friends, because the point is the flooding, not the headphones, and none of these skeets end in question marks.)
— Lindley Ashline (@lindley.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Let’s dig deep.
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Hi there! I'm Lindley. I create artwork that celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards at Body Liberation Photography. I'm also the creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop, a curated central resource for body-friendly artwork and products. Find all my work here at bodyliberationphotos.com.
