In the modern day, people may find it impossible to avoid buying stuff. Sometimes, we might just think that this is simply due to the covetous nature of human beings. Indeed, this greed and desire for status manifested through symbols of material wealth certainly does contribute to uncontrollable consumerism. However, no matter how much of an ascetic one may be, it is genuinely difficult to avoid making unsustainable purchases, and this is a product of planned obsolence. In a world where our everyday lives are heavily entwined with technology, it is difficult to avoid making purchases if products break on a regular basis. You can't even purchase a cell phone without having to replace it four or five years down the line! I believe that by circumventing planned obsolence, we can not only make the world a more sustainable place, but we'll also make technology more accessible to people with lower income, thus improving general quality of life.
I envision a world where people can continue use products for more than ten years at a time without malfunctions. I also hope to see a world where even the lower class can have access to functional cell phones, washing machines, kitchen appliances, etc, without having to having to frequently repurchase.
A potential solution to mitigate planned obsolescence would be to advise people to, if possible, purchase older products that are known to be durable. I remember the stories from my parents where they would accidentally drop a flip phone from the third floor and the phone would be perfectly intact. Another way to combat planned obsolescence would be to purchase appliances that have more analog components than digital components to facilitate repairs as digital components tend to be more difficult to repair compared to mechanical ones.
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I agree that much of the cause behind planned obsolence is the design of the products itself. This again requires a mindset shift from producers and manufacturers, as they must consciously ensure to create products that are durable and last for a long time rather than products that are easily replaceable.
Hi R, I liked your point about making technology more accessible to people with lower income by getting around planned obscolescence. However, in order for companies to make profit, a certain degree of planned obscolescence needs to remain. Reducing the profit of businesses will have its own negative consequences on the economy. Do you have any suggestions for how to avoid this conundrum?
I wish there were stores that sold specifically old and refurbished electronics! Maybe they could come with a plan for repair as well. That way people who want older, more well made products could easily find them
I think you made a really great point about the lower and higher-status groups and account for people with lower income for the intervention part. Indeed I agree that over-consumerism is very often associated with wealth and that it is hard to not have desires when you can afford them!
I think that you are bringing up a very important point regarding todays society. It would be really great to have products be manufactured for longevity rather then profit. Unfortunately, it used to be this way but in todays society, companies are only worries about their profit.
I agree with you that if we keep being this way and not resisting the "need" to get the newest products, we are becoming victims of this planned obsolescence and unintentionally building the standard that manufacturers target.