VALS Survey

Once I completed the VALS survey online, it categorized me primarily as an INNOVATOR and secondly as an EXPERIENCER.

I completely agree with the label if Innovator; however, I like to think of it as being less-innovative as being an innovator on the consumer-product curve. That curve describes innovators as being completely product-driven and jumping right on a product as soon as it comes out in order to take advantage of its new-fangled technologies.

For myself, being a young, 21-year-old collge student, I think of the label of Innovator as describing the way we 'use' products rather than necessarily 'buy' them. We are the generation that adopts product willingly into our everyday lives: we try them out, tell our friends, start and end trends, and make sure the product is useful in all aspects of our lives. Take, for instance, cell phones. Or should I say, all-inclusive media outlets that we sometimes use to actually talk to our family and friends but moreso use them for music, movies, texting, and emailing.

I am an Innovator because I follow and start trends that are usually passed to other people in the community who may not be as willing to take on new products.

As far as being an Experiencer is concerned, I think that label is also quite fitting. I often buy things without thinking about it first - I buy for pleasure and 'the experience' more than the longterm benfits. There's no doubt that I enjoy buying the latest fashion and gadgets to make my life seem more coherent with current day interests and fads. For this reason, and the fact that I am sometimes an impulse-buyer, I would definitely agree with the fact that I am secondly categorized as an Experiencer.

Posessions and Identity

A possession that is closely tied to my sense of identity would be my...well...come to think of it, I don't really have any one item or group of items that realy exemplifies me as a person. In a way, I'm proud of that, even though it doesn't cooperate with this assignment.

The author of the article had many, many years to develop strong connections to her belongings in her home. She had three children, two dogs and two cats, all which helped to solidify and build those relationships and emotions in conjunction with her home.

I am 21-years-old, and have yet to really develop that much of an emotional connection to any items in my life. Sure, I've had special belongings that I've had throughout the years: there were the cowboy boots from my 4th birthday that I wore every day during the fall...in shorts, or the first TV and stereo system that I bought with my own money when I was in 8th grade. Each of these things were 'special' in some way, but they didn't necessarily shape ME in regards to my personality or identity.

Instead, they shaped certain phases of my life. And in that way, they may have had an overall impact on the person I am today. Do I still wish I could fit into those cowboy boots? Maybe. do I still own those cowboy boots? Yes, they're hanging on my wall in my bedroom. Do I still own that TV and stereo system? Absolutely. I think that says something about my personality: I tend to hold on to things that I am proud of and have deep meaning in my life.