Gift-giving is an essential part of our daily interactions as human beings. We give gifts to commemorate particular occasions, and we give gifts almost randomly. However, the way we provide these things has changed drastically throughout the years, ever since the growth of digital media.
Digital media plays a significant role in our daily lives. For example, we check our social media almost every hour, go to the internet to ask questions, and even order food using digital media. The numbers don’t lie. The number of minutes we spend on social media is increasing every year. But how does digital media affect how we give gifts? And does it improve this tradition for the better?
A Brief History of Gift-Giving
Gift-giving is considered to have started from our great ancestors. It was supposed to be a means to survive. Tribes may give gifts to each other out of concern or maybe because they want something back. This feedback has created a positive reinforcement for us to give gifts to one another, which evolved into the later stages of civilization.
Eventually, kings and queens give gifts to other nations as an act of diplomacy, but even peasants and people part of the lower class still give gifts to others to say thank you or appreciate their friendship. The gifts given by kings and queens come in jewelry and more expensive items such as thoroughbred horses. In contrast, the gifts given by peasants were primarily food, a gift similar to those of our great ancestors.
This eventually changed as more people became more materialistic during the 20th and 21st centuries. As things become more affordable, food and jewelry aren’t the only choices for gifts anymore, and with the influence of digital media, gift-giving has become more interesting than ever.
Gift-Giving Today
We now have so many choices when it comes to giving gifts to people. These gifts can change because of the season, the availability of the gift, and how we can procure it. Your local gift shop won’t sell gifts made for Christmas in the middle of Summer, but it will certainly stock the main choices such as greeting cards, chocolates, and flowers. These are great choices if you’re planning to remind someone of your appreciation. Additionally, they are a much cheaper option than a jewelry box or a brand new phone. But there is a shift to much more personalized gifts.
The existence of social media has made gifts even more personalized. We can now know what kind of gifts we want to give to people even if we barely know them based on their interests posted on social media. Furthermore, there are now many websites that offer unique and customizable gifts that are great for people following a particular brand.
The World of Digital Media and Gifts
Customizable gifts are now available on almost any gift-giving platform. One major form of customizable and personalized gifts is gifts chosen from e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Shopify.
E-Commerce Gifts
E-commerce gifts are fairly common now, especially during the pandemic, and their form is simple and easy to do. Please choose a gift online, buy it, then ship it to the person. Another form is letting someone pick an item they want, and you purchase it from them. Amazon even has an entire site dedicated to gifts on all kinds of occasions.
Interestingly enough, these gifts depend on the items people purchase as gifts on the Amazon website. These suggestions also vary, simply because there are now thousands of gifts meant for different occasions. Suppose you compare it to the gifts we give way back then. Our gifts now are more personalized than ever.
Customizable Gifts
Customizable gifts are gifts that can’t be offered in gift shops, but there is an increasing demand for them. That’s why some gift shops are starting to offer such services. However, in the realm of digital media, customizable gifts are fairly common.
Websites such as the Wand Company offer customizable gifts from various brands. Recently, they are selling Pokemon balls with their own variations. Some of them even come with certification because there are only so few of them in the world. These customizable gifts can certainly bring people to jump in joy when they receive them.
Personalized Celebrity Videos
Lastly, and one highly influenced by digital media, is a new form of gifts: personalized celebrity videos. Nowadays, people are willing to pay a couple of hundred dollars to get a celebrity to greet their friend on their birthday. This is a fairly common gift now, and people certainly get hyped for it. Websites such as Cameo are earning millions of dollars from such a business model.
The way we give gifts now has become more personalized than ever. Sure, the main choices will stay classic, but customizable gifts will be the best choice for the people close to you, such as your loved ones.
