10 Ways Technology Ruins the Sneakerhead Experience

10 Ways Technology Ruins the Sneakerhead Experience

With more access to sneakers online, it's turned almost everyone into a reseller. You don't have to know about sneaker history or camp out in front of stores anymore. Any sneaker desired can be had with the click of a mouse. It's not that just sneakerheads are hoarding the latest collab or Jordan to themselves, it could literally be anyone looking to profit on the after-market prices of sneakers. And they don't even have to sell the shoes themselves, they can easily be dropped off at Flight Club, RIF, or the closest local consignment shop (which are popping up everywhere). As we've lamented in the past, you'd be foolish not to view sneakers as a commodity. Sadly, though, the Internet is drawing a false hype to sneakers — making them harder to get for everyone — and causing them to fly from the shelves of e-commerce stores, only to sit in consignment shops for the next few months.

After Supreme had to cancel the Air Force 1 release at its flagship location in New York City, it left a lot of people feeling bitter in the Big Apple. It also let us know that the regional sneaker release — when a certain store or area would be privy to a specific sneaker or collaboration — was nearly dead. There are a few things that have come out in obscure places this year, without getting put for retail on the Internet, but they're coming fewer and far between. Nearly every sneaker boutique has a website, and nearly every sneaker boutique sells the litany of collaborations that come out — even if they're not the store who designed the product. It's great for the worldwide fans who clamor to get their hands on sneakers they previously would have played a reseller's premium for. But if the Internet hype has become so real for something that retailers are afraid to drop something in-store, has it gone too far?

There’s a pretty predictable process when it comes to any collaboration or sneaker that brands or shops are going to push: It starts with a teaser, then you’ll see a shot of the laces, maybe it’s a shot of the toe box, or is it the heel? After two or three weeks, you’ve finally seen the whole sneaker and learned the release date. By the time that happens, do we even want it anymore? Maybe. But there are also hordes of others that think it will be a good resell opportunity or now want the sneaker. Maybe these leaks are good reminders that something is coming out, and they’re definitely good marketing techniques. If they take away the excitement around a collaborative product, however, are they really doing their job?

People have always been influenced by others. Humans are swayed by those around them. It’s in our nature. When we have ideas about sneakers tossed in our face everyday, it makes it a lot tougher to make up our own minds. Are we supposed to like this retro? Is this new model, that’s come out in a hundred colors, really worth picking up? It’s tough to decide what you really like. Before you part with your cash, a few ideas go through your head – mainly if you really want that shoe, but also if other people are going to approve of your purchase. If social media, blogs, and brands that have social platforms are all pulling you in different directions, what are you supposed to buy? Maybe you’re the kid who likes Diadoras, Sauconys, or just general release basketball sneakers. You might even prefer retro Jordans. It’s still tough to make up your mind when so many voices get in your head, and it’s all thanks to technology.

Sneaker fatigue is real. To get what you want, you often have to follow hundreds, maybe even thousands, of sneaker-related Twitter and Instagram accounts. You see the same sneakers posted one after another. Once in a while, something will blow you away. But, often, it’s the same sneakers, and they’re just in a new colorway. If something great comes around, we sometimes don’t even know it because it's been buried amongst the never-ending scroll. After all of this happening, can we even remember that we love sneakers? Long gone are the days when you only thought about sneakers every three weeks when you stepped into a store and you looked at the shelves to see what was new. Now, you might not even go to the store, or even want to be in one after being on Twitter or Instagram all day.

This is a pretty controversial question: Do you need social media to be a sneakerhead? The answer, obviously, is no, but it’s not that easy. Today’s definition of a sneakerhead is skewed. Most might believe that it’s only someone who’s into limited, rare, or hyped releases. And that may be true. To procure any of these aforementioned sneakers, you need social media or a really good connect (which you probably got through Twitter or Instagram anyway). If your fingers aren’t constantly refreshing Nike Store’s Twitter feed, can you even get the new Js on Saturday? If you're a guy who has other pursuits in life besides being on his phone all day, you've probably missed out on a month's worth of Saturday sneaker releases.

Remember when a good release would go on sale? It wasn’t that along ago, and it still happens sometimes. If something isn’t completely gone within two minutes of dropping online, it's considered a "failure." There was a tweet the other day saying, "Wow, the white Supremes are sitting," in reference to the Supreme x Nike Air Force 1 release. The truth is that they sold out within three or four minutes, but not as quickly as black and red pairs. Shops are expected to blow out of their stock within the first day, if not the first hour, of something coming out. If the sneakers are still available the Monday after they dropped, they're met with an instant, "Wow, those bricked." It shouldn't be that way, but it is. If no one revved up their bots for all 25 releases taking place over the course of a weekend, then they're viewed, at least in the sneakerhead community, as instant failures.

It goes without saying that there's a competitive disadvantage to scoring things online, and it's not just in reference to people who get floated early links from friends at a brand or store. Bots and hackers have instantly put sneakers in far too many carts before the rest of the sneaker-buying populous were able to click the Nike Store Twitter link. Surely, there's been attempts to combat those who are able to walk away with 30 pairs of any given release from one shop,but it can't be stopped completely. Even those who attempt to buy a bot, only in the hopes that they'll finally score their dream sneaker, are thwarted when they don't work as planned. Bots and those wanting to get sneakers by dubious means are here to stay. The only way to avoid them is to get lucky once in a while, only buy things at a brick-and-mortar store, or avoid the Internet all together.

It's one thing if a sneaker gets previewed by the store or brand that's involved with its release. It's a completely separate issue when discussing the people who are hacking brands or going through enormous leaps and bounds just to show the world a sneaker first. It's become a race to the bottom: Who can show us the latest collaboration first? We would be lying if there wasn't an "oh, snap" moment when these images get posted to Instagram or Twitter, but they've also taken away the special feeling that these products are meant to evoke. No one cares about the story behind a collaboration when you've been able to digest what it looks like before finding out about its inspiration. How long have we seen the "Legend Blue" XIs for? We can't say that we're not to blame for this problem, too — a lot of people post these pics in hopes that a blog will pick it up and they'll get their 15 minutes of Internet fame when their Instagram account is linked within the post. But, please, keep the sneakers to yourself. They'll feel a lot cooler when they get put out the natural way.

Going to physical sneaker stores used to be a time-honored tradition. You probably remember picking out sneakers with your parents as a kid, begging for the Jordans or Reebok Pumps that you really wanted. Or maybe you cherish finding out the special spots within your city or state that were the only store that sold Air Force 1s. None of this matters anymore. Nowadays you'd only feel excited if you came across a store with  sneakers in stock that sold out on the Internet, and that's terrible. Let's pray sneaker stores never go away, but according to Matt Powell.....