Before Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., dropped out of the presidential campaign, he called himself an "authentic conservative." And, the Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant, by serving meat free of antibiotics, chose the label "Food with Integrity." Now, when people shop, they typically gravitate toward the most authentic food with the label "USDA organic."
This fixation of the authenticity in politics and in food is a result of the overarching homogeneity in U.S. culture, according to a recent article in Time magazine. Legendary business consultants James Gilmore and Joseph Pine II, who together wrote "Authenticity," said in the article that America has "toxic levels of inauthenticity." As a result, they claim it is essential for businesses, if they want to thrive, to "start selling experiences" instead of products.
No longer are buyers concerned with only price and quality. Instead, they respond more to the product or the person as an experience. Companies must be "transparent," meaning they are what they claim to be, or they can openly fake their authenticity by offering cheap substitutes, thus the phrase "synthetic authenticity."
Going against centuries of standard economic theory, today's customers look beyond the price and quality of a product, according to a new school of behavioral economists in the last 20 years.
This is one of 10 ideas that Time magazine predicts will take precedence in 2008. Another notable idea listed in Time was the end of customer service with the "self-serving store," which has "revolutionized retail" with copies like ATMs and pump-your-own gas.
This replacement of the person with the machine was mentioned in social critic George Ritzer's 1996 book "The McDonaldization of Society." He used McDonald's as the archetypal example of how calculated and processed our lives have become with this homogeneity.
"Replacement of human by nonhuman technology is often oriented towards greater control," Postman wrote. Thus, in response to this predictable "pre-packaged, pre-measured, automatically controlled" environment, it makes sense that Americans are ready for a more authentic experience in life.
Gilmore and Pine point out how the virtualization of life, with friends meeting on Facebook.com and the increasing popularity of blogs, increases the desire for more authentic experiences with others beyond e-mail or instant messaging. Even teachers in the classrooms are competing with technology with the online classes that are available for students.
According to a recent article from The New York Times, more than two-thirds of all higher-education institutions have online opportunities in some form. While some are enthusiastic about the economic benefits of online classes, others are not so excited.
Stephen Ruth, professor of public policy and technology management at George Mason University, said in the article that the atmosphere of the classroom simply cannot be replaced.
Online classes are "not in par, in my opinion, with traditional classes at top-tier universities," Ruth said. "[T]he general ambience of the class provides a better experience."
I would have to agree with Ruth in regards to education. I would prefer the interactive atmosphere of a classroom to the computer screen. And, I also would agree that "self-serving" stores have their limits. Technology has its limits.
While we must take advantage of the advancements of the age, we also must not forget the value of customer service and a teacher who can bring a subject to life. We must not get stuck in what Ritzer termed the "irrationality of rationality," where control takes precedence over quality and can be dehumanizing for the customer or student.
We must not forget the true meaning of authenticity, which is more than a blank computer screen or an ATM.
Blake Osborn is a freshman in English. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.
