Nationwide apartment search website RentCafe unveiled that beauty and self-care gadgets were the most loved home electronics in 2021, anti-snoring devices and beard trimmers made us laugh the most, while fitness trackers made us sad – all according to Facebook emoji reactions. This comes as an accurate reflection of everyone’s life in another year of pandemic, characterized by too much time spent indoors and failed attempts at maintaining healthy habits.
So how do you feel about your home gadgets? This might seem like a strange question, but after spending the larger part of another year at home, RentCafe predicts that we may have bonded with the stuff in our homes a little more than we would like to admit. Do you secretly get mad at your food processor? So do lots of people, it turns out. RentCafe analyzed 747,000 Facebook emoji reactions (not including likes) to around 2 million articles about more than 70 popular home gadgets and electronics, to uncover which items that stirred the strongest emotions in 2021.
Most loved: When the beauty salon is closed, self-care is (literally) in our own hands
- Gel nail kit (96% love reactions)
The gel nail kit was hands-down the most loved item online in 2021, with 96% of the Facebook love emojis. Its popularity goes to show just how we took self-care routines into our own hands and loved it.
- Graphic tablet (92% love reactions)
One of the newest and most popular new digital devices to hit the market, the graphic tablet got lots of love, a sign that some of us have been doing something productive this past year.
- Kindle (tie) (89% love reactions)
The overwhelming positive reactions to Kindles show that we might have found at least one good side-effect of the pandemic: either reading is back in style, or when there’s nowhere else to go, we are putting our time to good use.
- IPL hair remover (tie) (89% love reactions)
- Smart air fryer (tie) (88% love reactions)
- Slow cooker (tie) (88% love reactions)
Kitchen items like the smart air fryer and its partner in crime, the slow cooker, have also made the list of “most loved devices” this year, as we (re)discovered our cooking skills. And what’s not to love about a gadget that figured out how to make guilt-free fried food or one that allows us to dump all the ingredients in one place and go about our business?
Saddest: The pet camera reactions remind us that cats still rule the internet
- Pet camera (77% sad reactions)
For the ones that rent a pet friendly apartment, leaving their fur friends alone during the holidays can prove to be heartbreaking. That’s exactly what Fu Fu’s owners found out by using a pet camera and witnessing their cat cry. The sad reactions to the pet camera accounted to a whopping 77%, which goes to show just how easily cats control our emotions and the internet – but what’s new?
- Fitness tracker (49% sad reactions)
Online sad reactions to the fitness tracker are the best metaphor for self-disappointment in our failed attempts at staying fit. This little evil device is also the fourth item with most angry reactions.
- Washing machine (38% sad reactions)
On the same note, the washing machine is there to remind us that a large part of adult life is made of never-ending laundry.
Most infuriating: Smart thermostats that make us feel like we’re not home alone
- Food processor (38% angry reactions)
The food processor is supposed to make cooking easy and hassle-free but tell that to the 50 different pieces that take up all the counter space and need thorough cleaning after each dish. Just reading that now got you pretty irritated, right?
- Smart thermostat (31% angry reactions)
The smart thermostat took an intrusive turn this year, when Texas power companies controlled residents’ thermostats remotely, big brother style – hence the angry reactions. Remotely controlled devices can be extremely useful if you’re the one doing the controlling, but when others do it, you might get an unpleasant feeling of not being quite home alone.
Funniest: The anti-snoring device grants us a silent night next to our favorite villain
- Anti-snoring device (tie) (89% funny reactions)
Sure, we dealt with a lot this year, but humor is what keeps us going. The anti-snoring device is supposed to reduce the midnight chanting and will also make your spouse look like Tom Hardy‘s version of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.
- Beard trimmer (tie) (89% funny reactions)
Apart from being promoted as a device for any man and… any area, it’s safe to assume that the beard trimmer was also the culprit in many home fails this year. Few other people appreciated the work-from-home policy more than the ones who tried to give themselves haircuts this.
- Smart light bult (83% funny reactions)
Not generally known as a particularly funny item, the light bulb was reinvented this year by a group of nostalgic developers, who used an IKEA light bulb to run the 90’s staple game Doom. Certainly, a creative way of going back to the future. Doom.
Most impressive: Smart doorbells that get too personal with the neighbors
- Smart doorbell (44% wow reactions)
News regarding smart doorbells revealed that they’re able to capture private data from neighbors, which can be seen as a privacy violation, especially if you’re in the habit of bad-mouthing your annoying neighbors. The moral of this story is: be careful before purchasing smart tech, as “impressive” is a double-edged sword.
- Smart thermostat (39% wow reactions)
Impressive as well as infuriating, the remotely controlled thermostat has certainly raised eyebrows this year, though not in the best way.
- Baby monitor (32% wow reactions)
Heartwarming stories of love between siblings are always impressive, especially when they come from 10 year-olds. This caring brother surprised his mom and the people who witnessed the imagines captured by the baby monitor when he woke up in the middle of the night to comfort his 18 months-old brother.
