The modern day phenomenon of time wasting research

[toadasoda]

Any one else find they are constantly expected to research things? For example DH decided to buy an expensive new item for this birthday, something he always wanted. I offered to help because as the main breadwinner, he is essentially buying his own birthday present. He told me to do research and he would do likewise. After trawling through mind boggling information online I had very little and was also trying to read the many links DH keeps sending me. Finally I persuaded him to call to a specialist shop, we visited two, had a chat and the item is purchased. All stress free and simple.

It occurred to me how often we do this. Recently I booked a spa break with friends, this involved many exchanges, multiple links posted on whatsApp, to-ing and fro-ing until we booked the place the 1st person recommended, which could have been done at the outset. Everyone's time wasted. I occasionally visit a friend in a big city and she books a restaurant, but not after sending me about 5 links and telling me about her online research looking at reviews etc before we can book. Even when I agree to a venue she is messaging about the menu 'the calamari is getting great reviews' etc. Booking holidays is a massive project. Fair enough if its backpacking or something unusual but I'm talking a family holiday in a resort. We spend hours and hours of research.

When I was a child, a friend might recommend a restaurant or holiday resort and that was all you needed. Or you went to a travel agent, got a brochure and that was it. My parents didn't have to become experts on vacuum cleaners or lawnmowers or towns in Greece or speciality diets or anything else, they just asked someone who knew.

Anyone else find this really frustrating and time wasting? Technology seems to have hugely complicated ordinary every day decisions.

Oh you're not wrong. I read something about this phenomenon the other day - annoyingly can't remember what it's called or what I read!

100% agree OP. I reckon I spent longer researching my last tumble dryer than I did looking when I got my first house. DH takes it to the next level- continues to research even after he’s bought something almost as if he still needs reassurance he’s made the right decision-Bonkers situation!

People do it now because its so easy. Google it and there it all is in front of you. Before Google was invented I suppose people relied on recommendations or just luck 🤔

I'm guilty of this, but the encyclopaedia Brittanica didn't really cut it. I like to know what I'm getting!

I love researching the things I buy!

I love researching things I want to buy. I get very interested in TVs every twelve years or so...
I also remember my mum checking out the Which magazine in the local library when she wanted to make a major purchase, so not sure it's quite that modern a phenomenon.
And pre internet I never ever just got one travel brochure

My parents didn't "have to" become experts on vacuum cleaners, but they did check Which? and would check which ones were the "best buys" and pick whichever of them they liked the look of most

In the olden days, libraries would have many back editions, so you didn't even need to subscribe yourself. I do subscribe now, because they do cover a lot of Stuff, and it's not onerous to check just one place to see if there are any makes/models to swerve, and which ones do best in their tests. Way better than trying to make sense of endless reviews!!

Oh me. So much me.
The worst is I spend way more time researching books I want to buy than reading the actual books. Shame.

Once upon a time you needed a straightforward household item. Out would come the Argos catalogue, you turned to the relevant page - kitchen bin, nest of tables, double duvet or whatever, and Bob's your Uncle. A whole array to choose from, all in the same place. No endless faffing around looking at endless pages online, no stupid search results, there it all was right in front of you.

As for holidays... jeez. Used to be easy. A stroll round a couple of travel agents, pick up some brochures for the part of the world you wanted to go to, choose a holiday destination and they'd look up your preferred dates. There would be several options, you picked the one you liked, and they would book the whole thing then and there. Flights, transfers, hotel, insurance, the lot. And if there were any issues, they'd sort it all out for you and amend the booking no problem.

You do the level of research that you choose to do. I don't think technology itself has complicated things - you can make purchases with one click! It's the breadth of choice and the availability of information and reviews that cause the dithering imo.

We have a city break planned for next week for our wedding anniversary. Husband has subjected me to so many reviews/articles/YouTube travelogue videos and planned every day to such a degree that I'm sick of it before we've even gone and have completely lost any feeling of anticipation. It's our first break without the kids in 4 years and I'm not looking forward to it at all now.

I am literally the opposite of this. I book holidays in the snap of a hand, hardly ever read a review and I've had some amazing holidays and cheap deals. It drives me mad when people do this never ending research indecisive shite.

I agree. But for me it extends to lots of areas of my life.

My DS1 is was high needs. I spent literally days researching how to get him to sleep and stop being sick and stop his migraines. Over the years we saw countless specialists (digestive, ENT, ophthalmologist, neurologist, psychologist, psychiatrist, osteopathy, orthodontist... and I forget the rest).

My mum says she couldn't believe how I never gave up and just kept researching (he was eventually diagnosed with several SN and treatment has changed our lives).

On the holiday side I CBA anymore. Once we've found something that looks good we book it. Who cares of there is a "better" option on a different website.

You're absolutely spot on. It's the tyranny of choice.

I am so, so bad for this as well. Sometimes I just decide not to buy the item/do the thing because the stress of the research and decision is too much!

Back in the old days if I needed something, I'd just look in the Argos catalogue and choose whichever one looked best at my price point and in stock. That was it. Choice of about three usually. And it was always fine.

I don't understand why you wouldn't research something you're spending money on. I would far rather spend 30 minutes reading restaurant reviews and have a lovely dining experience than rock up somewhere at random and be disappointed. But I see research as an investment not a waste of time.

I do a lot of research but get to a point where I feel I know enough to make a good decision and stop.

I don't make a huge amount of buying mistakes, so I think it's worth it.

Totally agree. I'm too tired by the time the kids have gone to bed to read up on dishwashers or whatever - it just feels like more work.

OMG yes OP. Getting my first hot air styler and after watching reviews, videos, etc I gave up and bought one. If it doesn't work I'll just return it and get a different model.
@AllProperTeaIsTheft I agree!

I also wonder though whether it's us that are more fussy, or that we trust the shops less to have 'curated' something sensible. I find IKEA shopping so freeing. a few models, usually with clear difference but all generally sensible. Take it or leave it.

YY to the tyranny of choice. And overwhelm. Sometimes I think I just need to accept that there isn't a "best". This one is fine, that one is fine, my time is valuable, and I just need to f%^&ing choose already.

It'd be fine if it was just cars and tumble driers, but I find myself doing it with school shoes, party bag contents, ready lasagnes and face wash.

Mainly because of 3 reasons:

In past decades we had experts of things, in shops, waiting to advise you. A person who had done a job for many years and perhaps so had his father before him. You wanted a new drill, or some paint for example. You went to a hardware store and someone there would advise you on which one was best for your needs.
Now you turn up at Homebase and everyone is clueless or just has the same knowledge as me.
Hardly anyone specialises in anything retail wise.

There was far less choice before. And of what there was on offer, it was far better made. Most things you bought were made in the UK or Europe and were made to last.
Now most stuff is cheap crap from Asia and you have to be careful what you buy.

People expected less. You wanted a holiday abroad. You took what was on offer (much much less than what’s of offer now in terms of resorts and facilities). A word of recommendation from a friend or a few snaps from a brochure and that would have to do. If it was a shit place then oh well, you wouldn’t go back.

Far more choice and the ability to make very informed decisions with an enormous amount of information at our fingertips - why wouldn’t you research what you are spending money on?

We have so many things we need for the house that never seem to get done because the choice is overwhelming. And they're expensive so carry that weight of what if we make a mistake? So we keep putting them off rather than choose and get on with our lives. I hate it.

But I think about my dad booking holidays. We never had package holidays. He used to spend evenings poring over maps in the kitchen, plotting routes and places to stay. They may have booked some sites but the rest you just turned up and got what you got (camp sites).

I guess it comes down to if you enjoy it or not. If you do then great, I don't but feel that everyone expects it now. Even if you do something that doesn't work out, no one tells you to just put it down to experience, it will be a case of why didn't you do your research??

It's a good point about knowledgeable staff. I've noticed that even if people get expert guidance they still do their own research, it's like we don't trust anyone anymore. Also there is the pattern of cutting out the middle man, more and more services are direct now so it feels like we have more life admin.

The thing is though I do not think we are researching at all.

Google does not work that way.

You put in your search terms.

YOU are sold and the advertisers find you.

All the reviews? Advertising.
The Oxford, Harvard papers? Advertising.

We actually "find" very little.