Cocooning

Cocooning is a trend that has been gathering momentum for a while. I remember hearing about some of the following elements before I left for Australia. The recession has certainly put the fundamentals into a greater arena, causing the trend to become more noticeable.

People are creating self-sufficiency in their homes, meaning that there is less of a need to venture to the outside world. The availability of technology, professional systems and appliances are making it easier for Cocooners to help themselves. Technology has enabled the average citizen to create their own hi-tech entertainment, whether through purchasing HD televisions, Blu-Ray players and PVRs, to watching 20 hours of extras on The Lord of The Rings, to subscribing to Lovefilm.com. All of these have spiked in sales and memberships, thereby creating a reason to stay at home. This isn’t to say people are becoming more anti-social: online gaming is increasing with World of Warcraft now counting 11.5 million subscribers worldwide; and playing Nintendo Wii, and social technology games such as Guitar Hero and Sing Star after a dinner party are not uncommon.

Dinner parties themselves have upped the ante. With Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey gracing our screens on what seems to be a weekly basis, cooking at home is becoming increasingly gourmet. Simple yet impressive dishes are being introduced to families and entertainers alike; fresh ingredients and British produce are infiltrating modern households. Although, having said that, supermarkets are cashing in on the gourmet ready meal sector (although this has become a little up and down during the recession). It has been predicted that the ready meal market will continue to increase over the next few years, with the main area of growth being in the healthy ‘gourmet’ sector. Small kitchen appliances are also on the up. People are now able to provide their families with homemade produce, including bread, juices and ice-cream.

Supermarket shopping online is a small sector, but total online shopping is big business and I expect this to rise. Many people still have concerns about shopping in the comfort of their own home, with identity fraud playing a big part in this. Also, people still want to go to shops in person, in order to touch the produce and to try on clothes and shoes before buying (the senses are key in modern consumerism). However, most supermarkets will now provide an online order and delivery service, some claiming to ensure they pick the best produce available – so that you don’t get a rotten plum that you would never have picked out yourself. There are also apparel shops that have little or no high-street presence, such as Coco Ribbon, My Wardrobe, ASOS, and Net-a-porter, who all provide a source of selective fashion with robust return policies.

“So close it will not light an early light,
Keeping its life so close and out of sight
No one for hours has set a foot outdoors
So much as to take care of evening chores.”
This is an extract from a poem by Robert Frost written in 1928. The essence of the poem tells us about people wasting their lives in their homes, not doing anything outside. They don’t even know the cocoon is shutting them out permanently. This may be a possible outcome for the current trend of cocooning, but I certainly disagree that with the assistance of technology of today, it would be hard for Cocooners to be “wasting their lives”.