The portal to newness is made of glass
From phones to storefront windows, glass plays a key role in our relationship with new things.
Glass. It’s not the sexiest topic for a newsletter. But lately, strangely enough, I’ve been thinking a lot about the stuff. Specifically, its role in our relationship with new things.
We spend many of our waking hours staring at the smooth, brightly lit glass screens of phones, tablets, computers, smart home devices, and TVs. And it’s on these devices, through the glass screens, that new things—new videos, new clothing, new trends—demand our attention.
But our history with glass, and its role in the dynamic between humans and newness, started way before the ubiquity of screens.
A new way to see new things
The Gilded Age of the late 19th century turned the United States into an industrial juggernaut. Along with it came the rise of department stores, consumerism, and, you know it, glass. Innovations in glass manufacturing made it possible to install big windows at the front of department stores. And just like that, window shopping was born.
People were hooked. The serendipity of it all, strolling down a sidewalk, when a new thing calls out to you. The product is carefully staged to show off its design. And then there’s something about the glass that brings this experience together. You’re close to it, almost in reach, yet you can’t touch it.
This new behavior really went viral in the early 20th century when someone named Harry Gordon Selfridge had an idea—a literal light bulb moment.
When new things glow at night
Selfridge was working at a department store in Chicago called Marshall Field’s. Instead of the store going dark every night, Selfridge decided to illuminate the display windows to create an alluring glow.
This practice became the norm for department stores and small-town shops. Sort of the screen time of its era, the windows drew in potential customers, even when the stores weren’t open.
“I want a glass screen, and I want it perfect in six weeks”
Glass would go on to become our portal to new things. There’s a famous story about Steve Jobs before the first iPhone was released. Jobs carried around an iPhone prototype that was configured with a plastic screen, but upon finding scratch marks on it, he demanded his team switch to glass. “I want a glass screen, and I want it perfect in six weeks,” Jobs said.
Apple enlisted Corning Inc. to manufacture its screens. Corning Inc. has a storied history of glass-making that includes Thomas Edison’s incandescent lamp and heat-resistant windows for spacecraft. They’re like the Willy Wonka of glass-making.
Tiny store windows in our pockets
Window shopping still exists today, of course. Retailers spend considerable time and energy on building the perfect experience for passersby. And it works. One study compared two sets of store window displays—one that was more creative and another that was less creative—and monitored store visits. The researchers found that the more creative displays brought in more shoppers.
But today, we’re not limited to the new things on display in department stores. We carry tiny store windows in our pockets. The glow now comes from our phones, too, and the storefront displays are curated by retailers that display their products on the internet.
One good note
A true fact from Carlos Greaves.
This week’s recommendations
If Ray Kurzweil Is Right (Again), You’ll Meet His Immortal Soul in the Cloud, by Steven Levy, WIRED 📄
Innovation 2.0: Do Less, Hidden Brain 🎧
I Kinda Hate The Internet Now, by Stephen Moore, Trend Mill 📧
Thanks for reading. See you next Sunday.
Eric