When modernization ruins the vibe

[alix]

No wonder shopping malls died. I remember loving the mall as a kid, but when I became an adult I hated it. I don't remember what it was like as a kid, but as an adult it was mostly empty.

I think this is an American problem though. Over here in Japan shopping malls remain popular and there's lots of stores. They are quite sanitized though.



I'm unsure of the name for this style, but I love PC's where all of the hardware is built into a mechanical keyboard. Something like an MSX or Commodore 64. Recently I was thinking that when it becomes time to replace my current computer, I would like to build a modern version of something like that, but when I looked into it I couldn't find any shells for sale. I did find one company that made a Commodore 64 shell for modern PC's but literally everything in their shop was sold out so I assume they're done.

I guess I'll contact them and see if they ever plan to restock. If not, maybe I'll put a single board computer into a mechanical keyboard and run Linux on it. I'm not sure what I'd do with it though, since I don't think I would ever use Linux for my main PC.


I miss when electronics came in fun colors.

Shopping malls are still popular here in Spain, the problem is that older ones are getting closed, and the only ones are that being built have this whole minimalist 2020's aesthetic, which isn't the best solution to the problem

 

[Obake]

Shopping malls are still popular here in Spain, the problem is that older ones are getting closed, and the only ones are that being built have this whole minimalist 2020's aesthetic, which isn't the best solution to the problem

I can't speak for all of Japan, but here in Tokyo they continue to thrive. I like it a lot because it gives young people a place to go. I think some places (particularly America) really need something like that.

 

[eve]

I like it a lot because it gives young people a place to go. I think some places (particularly America) really need something like that.

problem izz that a ton of mallz here that do exist specifically havv rulez against teens "loitering" abd stuffz becuz they thiink that teenagerz r annoying and bad4business or whatevvz ...

 

[GENOSAD]

I can't speak for all of Japan, but here in Tokyo they continue to thrive. I like it a lot because it gives young people a place to go. I think some places (particularly America) really need something like that.

I think the main reason they thrive in Japan while dying in the US (aside from cultural differences, of course) is because of how condensed everything is in Japan. I'm basing this off of a week-long trip I took, so correct me if I'm wrong, but JP's population is much more condensed, which makes it that much easier to just walk ten paces and be met with 15 shops.
The US is different in that its infrastructure is "car-based" and it takes at least 15 minutes to walk anywhere that isn't inside a labrynth of suburban houses (or 15 hours if you're in the countryside). Going to the mall (or any public meetup area) is more of a dedication because in most places you'll need to go by car, and of course the rise in gas prices means spending half your paycheck just on going there and the other half on coming back home.

 

[stonehead]

I wonder if mass market research data is partly to blame.

The "purpose" of a mall is to sell things. Before the modern era, architects and designers probably just built malls that looked nice and felt good to be in. But if that aesthetic doesn't translate into more sales, the mall's corporate overlords are going to see it as a waste of time and stop putting money into it. Or even worse, maybe the bland, empty style of the modern day does a better job of tricking people into buying products.

Not to say that the corporate overlords were less greedy back then, just that they made the reasonable assumption that a pleasant, aesthetic mall would do a better job than a bland, sterile one. New data may have just revealed that that wasn't the case.

The same could be true of changing computer designs, although I would attribute that more to styles changing with time than to optimizing sales. The taste of the average consumer was very different decades ago than it is today. There is a more hopeful side to this though, because style trends are one of the fastest changing things in the world. 10-20 years from now, the screens and devices likely won't look very similar to our current ones. Whether it's a change for the better though still remains to be seen.

The US is different in that its infrastructure is "car-based" and it takes at least 15 minutes to walk anywhere that isn't inside a labrynth of suburban houses

The car theory makes sense, although I think that would explain the decline and closure of malls, but not necessarily the change in aesthetic.

 

[Venomnik0]

Brutalism was the only glass and concrete building style that looked good and had an aesthetic. Bland flat walls and glass are shit.

Oh I love brutalism. I wish there was a thread or something on brutalist aesthetic because that shit is GOLDEN.