Consuming for the Public vs the Private Self, Essay Example

When I started putting the collage together, I noticed there was a major difference between the goods I like to use in public and the goods I like to use in private. When I am alone, I prefer products that are inexpensive and make me comfortable. When I am around people, I prefer to use more expensive products because I like impressing others. This is an important difference because it impacts how I act around other people, and this assignment allowed me to notice that this is different than how I act when I am on my own.

One of my favorite products I use in public is my iPad. Since it is the latest trend, using it shows that I keep up with the latest technology and I am interested in having access to news and books at all times. However, when I am at home in private, I prefer to read paper books. I like the feel of turning the page of the book, which is not possible when I use an iPad. While I occasionally read paper books in public, I am not able to carry an entire library with me, which is why I prefer having the iPad when I go out.

An additional item that I think is important to my public self is hand sanitizers. Since people prefer it when others have good hygiene, I always make sure to have some with me and to offer it to others if they think their hands are dirty. I don’t use it a lot myself, but there are some times that I really want it so it’s nice to have it with me. When I am at home in private, I will never use hand sanitizer because it is easier to just wash my hands at a sink with soap. In public, people think that those who carry hand sanitizer are cleaner, which is mainly why I do this.

Although there are many products that are important to me in public, there are products that are important to me in private as well. For example, I am a very practical person, so I typically keep pens and pencils with me at all times. This is a useful item to carry with me when I am near other people in public in case they need to borrow these items, but I also have them in private because it’s useful to be able to write things down whenever this is needed. The pens and pencils that I use are often not considered expensive and I do not have a favorite pen. I do not try to impress others by using an expensive refillable pen. This object is important to me mainly because it is useful in both public and private.

Overall, I believe that my public self and private self are similar. Although I do some different things in public, I do most of the same things in both public and private and I care about the same things as well. Many things that I placed in my bag can be considered representative of the public self and the private self, which I think is good. Although I care about what people think about me, I don’t try to change myself to make sure that this will happen. I think that this is a good way to look at life and I will continue to do so.