Why Must Everything Be Categorized These Days?

Specificity is a virtue, but when does our need to categorize everything cross the line? At one time there were two types of movies: comedies and dramas. Now we have “screwball comedies,” “cult comedies,” and even “funny comedies.” Instead of “jeans” we have “flare cut” and “boot cut” and even “denim jeans.” We even have varying categories of shoes now: tennis shoes, running shoes, and walking shoes—but aren’t all shoes walking shoes? What is our need for micro-categorizing every item? Is it all a big marketing ploy or is there a deeper reason behind this need to categorize?

Technological Advances -

If you don’t like constant categorizing, blame technology. Innovative designs have lead to rapid specialization, with many engineers, scientists, and designers striving to find more efficient ways to satisfy each specific impulse we may have. These efforts are attempts to provide a greater variety and more choice for individuals seeking items to fit their needs more precisely. Take the walking shoe for example.

Not All Shoes are Walking Shoes -

While it’s fair to say a person walks in whatever pair of shoes he or she may be wearing, the term “walking shoe” has a more precise definition. Sceinetics have studied the exact nature of proper walking technique and have engineered a device to best accommodate the way the foot hits the ground. For example, during proper walking technique, the first part of your foot to touch the ground is the heel, which will naturally roll to the falls of the feet and then you will push off the ground with your toes. In contrast, the foot lands differently when somebody is running; runners lift their knees, pulling their feet up in the air and hitting the ground with far greater force. As a result, walking shoes and running shoes are built with different soles and support systems. In this instance, these shoes are categorized to better discern between two very different practices, and each of the said practices benefits more from a specific shoe type.

Humans Are Complicated Animals -

So while it may seem silly to differentiate between a running shoe and a walking shoe, the distinction arises from scientific fact. Likewise, the better you can distinguish between the kind of movies you enjoy—you may like courtroom dramas, but not necessarily enjoy dark, cerebral dramas—the better you’ll be able to make an informed selection.

Part of our need to categorize our things so extensively comes from the fact that we are complicated beings, capable of enjoying many different things at different levels, and needing acutely different things depending on our intentions. Thanks to technology, we’re beginning to understand out specific and sensitive our needs really are.