There is nothing more polarising in the social media circles I travel in than iPhone announcement day. It brings out the worst in people from both sides, particularly the rampant consumerism and fanboy gloating. However, the thing that annoys me most is the snark that also appears.

There’s nothing wrong with a casual ribbing. Might I suggest that fact that it took Apple 5 years to implement USB-C? Or that Apple claims things like 5x zoom is cutting-edge technology? Choose these things, and you might even find a fanboy to argue back with you for internet points. Though, I’d much rather you let people enjoy what they like and get on with it.

This isn’t restricted to tech, but it seems to bring out the worst tribalism in people. Whenever England are playing football, you see hundreds of posts similar to “yay sportsball”. Obviously, with less tactful word choice. In the same way, people can enjoy watching an Apple event without being a blinded consumerist sheep. They can also enjoy a game of national football without being a hooligan.

The fact that I even need to explain this to people makes me a little sad. Even more so, that I almost wrote a blog post explaining why I am buying a new phone. Undoubtedly, there are people that overstretch themselves to upgrade when they really don’t need to. Marketing and perceived societal pressure can influence some silly choices. The idea of making people more aware that they don’t need to upgrade is important. However, the holier than thou attitude isn’t.

We all enjoy weird and wonderful things in our life. I certainly have some things that others think are odd, but it brings me joy, and that shouldn’t matter to anyone else. I’m a big believer in loving what you love, and hating what you hate, but you don’t need to press those things on anyone else. Be constructive, not destructive.