Tendencies and Trends of the Roaring Twenties

The Roaring Twenties is the time between 1920-1929. During this era technology boomed, having a wealthy persona was desired, and just as fast as it came in it went out ten years later ultimately causing the Great Depression. Having the option to buy now and pay later was a contributing factor in a lot of Americans going into a debt hole due to lack of employment in the early thirties. Trying to keep up with societies newfound social status was hard for many people to sustain. The advancement of new technology had a positive impact on the country as a whole, however in the process some Americans got the short end of the stick. Companies often fired many people due to machines being brought in to replace physical human power. The machines were reliable, cheaper over time than an actual human worker, and it was more efficient. On a business perspective it was economical and smart. In the Roaring Twenties, everyday life was changed due to the advancement of technology that has changed the way humans have socialized ever since.

“History always repeats itself, the first as tragedy, then as farce.”-Karl Marx. In today’s society the same ethics are sought after. Due to technology, we are able to compare ourselves to people in the social media reality world. We often try to perceive ourselves to be someone who we are not through technology. By being able to judge others by what we see on the internet and not in real life is much different than how it was in the Roaring twenties. There was no social media or internet. So, to achieve this goal of looking wealthy and rich people often used layaway and store credit to buy things in advance. This was a way to get things now and pay for them later. Many department stores offered in house store credit through the store directly. It was very easy to get approved since it was a new concept that they had never seen before. By making these purchases they were able to get things today with little or no money down at all. The industrial leader must be efficient, and “efficiency means getting the utmost amount of useful results out of the facilities used” in production. (Taylor) getting product out to the people was essential for business to be able to thrive. So much so that may companies started offering out in house store credit, layaway and buy now pay later options.

This marketing tactic ultimately was fuel to the fire for America. It was easy to get credit and purchase items that you would not normally buy if you had to pay cash for it outright. This caused many households to go into debt because the economy was rapidly declining. They had acquired so much debt when the economy was on the rise that when the economy crashed, they could not maintain the lifestyle as before. The creditors profited tremendously from this. Charging borrowers inflated interest on items and charges. With majority of the population making less than five thousand dollars per year at this time credit was extremely convenient. (Government) The credit system now has gone to new heights. Which once started out as paper style in house store credit to now physical cards or digital pay from an iWatch or iPhone that is accepted just about everywhere. Having to not carry daily is not only a convenience but a safety issue in today’s world which was not exactly the case during this time.

A lot of people however went into a debt crisis by doing this. Which is one of the reasons why The Great Depression happened after this time period. All of the debt and the pay now buy later bills caught up with everyone. They didn’t have the same income coming in as they did in the early twenties. When jobs were cut, wages were lost, and homes were broken up due to lack of financial stability.

On November 2, 1920 KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA, becomes the first radio station to offer regular broadcasts. (Gauthier) With Jazz music on the rise more people purchased radios for the home as an alternative to spending money to go to a live session. Having a radio didn’t come cheap. Families could listen to the sports broadcast as they were enjoying family time or working around the house. Ranging from around sixty five dollars on sale, It was however a luxury item. (The Saturday Evening Post) With being able to use layaway many families used that option to buy radios for their homes. Jazz music was introduced which helped create a flair to later years genres of music including Rap, Rock N Roll, and Disco. When the radio hit the market in the early twenties people were thrilled to have in home music as if they were at a live show.

Sports was also big on the radio at this time. Families were able to listen to the sports casters on the radio in the home as if they were at the actual game itself. If families invested in a radio, they would save the money buy actually going out to a live event for the whole household. By doing this it was often though that it would saving money but in the long run it actually cost them much more due to interest and late fees that would occur.

Sadly, credit in todays has come to a place where the creditors are making money in interest fees by offering and advertising large credit limits knowing that borrowers cannot pay them back. Same held true in the twenties and even more so in the thirties. The only substantial difference is they compared themselves to people they actually saw in person and did not have the world at their fingertips like in today’s society. “In its final development, the telephone will be carried about by the individual, perhaps as we carry a watch today. It probably will require no dial or equivalent, and I think the users will be able to see each other, if they want, as they talk.” (Sullivan) Technology to this day is still advancing upward. Just twenty years ago we didn’t have high speed internet. Dial up was brand new to the world. It was a way to connect with people in a way the world had never seen before. The internet has evolved into something no one could have pictured twenty years ago. With the way the world is going it may be another Great Depression not far ahead of us due to easy credit options still being available, social media portraying a standard that is often farfetched for the average American to achieve, and with machines advancing the technology in the workplace and replacing human workers.