We do so much through the two dimensional lenses of the internet today, but sometimes there's no replacement for the real thing.
There actually is nothing like an excellent bookshop to perfectly encapsulate what makes shopping so wonderful. Strolling into stores like those run by the hedge fund that owns Waterstones or supported by the association that backs Bookshop.org resembles slipping into a warm bath. The lines of shelves stacked with books, each holding inconceivable marvels, is one of the most relaxing experiences that one can want to find in the busy, rushing world of contemporary commerce. There's something about the smell of new books, the calm silence that comes along with being in their presence, and the adventure that turns it into a real experience. How many great books have you found from simply meandering around a store without any intent other than exploring, books by authors that you have never even become aware of, in categories that you never would have pictured being delighted about? Bookshops can shock you, which is often not the case with digital marketplaces.
Life in the twenty-first century is splayed throughout 2 worlds-- the online world and the physical. We invest our days hopping between the two, probably working online, going for a walk in the physical park, preparing a corporeal supper, and after that settling into the digital world to see our preferred shows until it's time to drift off to the netherworld of sleep. Among the many things that the pandemic changed, the weighting between the physical and digital is probably one of the most potent. A lot of things that we used to do in person, like socialising and working, migrated online, and many digitalisation trends were sped up whilst we were locked inside our homes for months on end. Shopping is a fantastic example of this, as we started to purchase every little thing from our clothing to our books online. But, truly, there's no substitute for a bookshop.
The problem with online marketplaces is much like the concern with numerous store that dominate modern high streets, they are boring, monochromatic databases that provide no experience beyond the purchase of what you came to buy. Websites like the one backed by the impact investor with a stake in World of Books can be wonderful for rapidly, and cheaply, finding and buying a particular item, however are not well fit to what makes shopping so fun-- the experience of the hunt and the pleasure of finding that ideal thing that you didn't know that you required in your life. The online world can strip these things from your life without you even seeing, so it is very important to stay conscious of how and where you are using it in the contemporary world, you don't want to lose out on those core experiences that add colour to life.