Technological edging is the broad concept of intentionally delaying the practical use or possession of a technology in order to capitalize on potential new and better innovations of the technology. The term 'edging' brazenly refers to the sexual act of edging, meaning to delay
orgasm in order to achieve a more satisfying ending.
Specifically, technological edging could
mean holding out on buying a new smartphone or PC, even if you desperately need one, in order to capitalize on next year's advancements in consumer tech. In other
words,
people delay buying in order to not feel sad when the next best tech comes out, so they might as well wait for another year.
Technological edging can also apply to much bigger and broader ultimate goals, such as delaying future
space exploration (on
mars, the moon, etc.) in order to capitalize on the future impending innovations of science and technology. Such a move, in one's opinion,
may be the wiser option.
Example 1
Friend 1: Omg the new Galaxy S20 looks dope! Are you gonna get it?
Friend 2: Nope, I'm practicing technological edging rn. I wanna delay getting a new
phone so I won'
t complain about the next new
phone being better than it. I already have the Galaxy S9 and it's still going well so.
Example 2
The postponement of Trump's plan for sending astronauts to the Moon might seem disappointing at first, but hey, at least scientists can technological edge it and benefit from potential new breakthroughs in their
space tech.
