价值的新定义 The New Meaning of Value【中文/English】

你可能见过：画廊里，专家捧着画作讲笔触，定价 50 万；手机上，年轻人为像素头像竞价，3 万成交。前者靠艺术体系背书，后者只凭小众圈子认可。这不是价值乱了，而是我们对 “价值” 的认知，正从 “东西自带” 变成 “大家说了算”。

过去，价值是商品的 “硬标签”。椅子的价值在木材和手艺，书的价值在知识，衣服的价值在面料。这些价值清晰又稳定，不管卖给谁，核心意义都不变。

现在不一样了。粉丝眼里能拍高价的明星签名照，路人看就是张纸片；没实体的数字头像，有人愿意高价竞购。这些价值的关键，不是东西本身，而是 “一群人都认”。就像约定好：大家觉得它有意义，它就值钱；认同的人越多，价值越高。

其实价值从没有固定答案。有人为实用买单，有人为圈子共识付费。重要的是我们终于清楚：不是东西里藏着价值，而是我们愿意为它赋予意义，它就有了价值。

You might have seen this: In an art gallery, an expert talks about a painting’s brushwork and prices it at 500,000 yuan. On a phone, young people bid for a pixel avatar, and it sells for 30,000 yuan. The first one’s value comes from the art world’s approval. The second one’s value only comes from a small group’s recognition. This isn’t value going wrong. It’s our idea of “value” changing—from “something the item has on its own” to “what everyone agrees on”.
Before, value was a “fixed tag” on goods. A chair’s value was in its wood and how it was made. A book’s value was in its knowledge. A shirt’s value was in its fabric. These values were clear and steady. No matter who bought them, their main meaning stayed the same.
Now, it’s different. A celebrity’s autographed photo can sell for a lot to fans, but to others, it’s just a piece of paper. A digital avatar with no real form—people still want to pay a lot for it. The key to this value isn’t the thing itself. It’s “a group of people all saying it’s worth something”. It’s like a promise: if everyone thinks it matters, it becomes valuable. The more people agree, the more valuable it is.
Actually, value never had one fixed answer. Some people pay for things that are useful. Others pay for what a group agrees is valuable. The important thing is we finally get it: value isn’t hidden in an item. It’s something we choose to give meaning to—and when we do, it becomes valuable.

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