I believe you can make a choice in how you feel about new things. You can choose to like new things by default, and only change that opinion if you are overwhelmed the other direction by your experience. I also believe this is the opposite of how most people think. I think most people are naturally skeptical or negative toward new things until overwhelmed the other direction. Next time new-ness is upon you, try it out.
I am going to like this new song.
I am going to like this website redesign.
I am going to like this person I’m meeting.
I am going to like this movie.
I am going to like my new apartment.
I am going to like the new shoes I ordered.
You don’t have to be Mr. Happyfeet all day long. I’m just suggesting you might enjoy your life a little bit more if your mind spent more time liking things than hating them.
This thought was inspired by Apple recently releasing iTunes 10 and I’m seeing tons of hate-talk in the first 24 hours. I think if people defaulted to liking the redesign and gave using it a proper chance (24 hours for a piece of software used so much isn’t enough) the talk would be different. I also recently redesign CSS-Tricks, which was met with loads of hate-talk, only to be getting more comments recently on people “coming around” on the design. Those people wouldn’t need to “come around” if they didn’t default to hating it in the first place.
I totally agree with this! I was thinking about this just a couple of days ago. By thinking about things this way you get more receptive to things. And besides, it feels like hatin’ wastes a lot more mental energy. Maybe it’s a sort of built in sub-conscious fear that new things might hurt you that makes people reject new things. Familiar is safe. You also miss out on a lot of things by having negative thoughts before even trying them.
If only Chris..
Hate comments roll out seemingly milliseconds after a redesign. Easiest way to get attention I guess.
It’s just a sad way for people to socialize… Facebook exploded with groups on the redesign. If you asked anyone why they were against it most of the responses were “It just sucks, rabble rabble!”. Same thing for youtube, and even as you said, css-tricks.
Only problem I have with it is the anonymity, any form of constructive criticism is drowned out by mindless cries.
I agree also chris. that being said it IS ok to dislike something, as long as you’ve given it a proper go I think. but yes people should try to be more positive when trying something for the first time.
“Like” has almost always been my default. It actually came as a surprise to discover that everyone does not see the world that way. Sure, from time to time I decide something is not to my taste…but at least I gave it a fair try.
The flipside of this is that I (gasp) think about things that others like or dislike. While I won’t hate something just because the folks in my circle hate it, I also won’t always like things “because my BFF does”.
I personally feel that trying to experience something with an open mind is the best way. e.g. Imagine you go to see a film telling yourself that your going to like it and that it’s going to be good. It could turn out to be one of the worst films that you have ever seen, resulting in huge disappointment.
If you go in with no expectations then you would not risk being disappointed and may even be pleasantly surprised!
I hated this post.
A surprising number of us are prone to going at it in the opposite direction (myself included to some extent). Expect it to suck and then let it (maybe) win you.
But I think you are right. Things would be less complicated and much more enjoyable if we expected everything to shine. Then, on the rare occasion when something really did suck, it wouldn’t disappoint near as much.
Since design (and many other things) gets better by criticism I feel there should be a balance between the hate/love.
Just saying you hate something doesn’t mean anything in my book. I won’t even really listen to you. “I don’t like those buttons”. Oh okay… But what don’t you like about them?
If you feel like saying something critical, fine. But be sure to back it up.