How frequently do you buy new smartphones? What about a computer or a TV? You may have been “upgrading” more regularly recently because of planned obsolescence, which is a major factor in this. This issue suggests that technical devices don’t just stop operating after a given amount of time; they also become outdated when a better version is created or they just stop being in style.
A strategy for making consumer items that quickly age out and need to be replaced; it involves frequent design modifications, stopping the flow of spare components, and using cheap materials.
In simple word the process of creating something with the intention that people will only be able to use it briefly before needing to purchase a replacement is what we called as planned obsolescence. A big example of this is smart phones we use in our daily life.
Let’s get a step back in history
The booklet Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence by Bernard London, published in 1932, is at least partially responsible for the term’s invention. The main idea behind London’s proposal was to encourage and sustain consumption by having the government impose a legal obsolescence on things for personal use. However, American industrial designer Brooks Stevens made the saying more well-known in 1954.
In 1954, Stevens was scheduled to present a paper at a conference on advertising in Minneapolis. He chose the phrase as the talk’s title without much thinking. “Planned obsolescence” became Stevens’ slogan after that. Planned obsolescence, in his words, was “instilling in the customer the urge to purchase something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than necessary. (SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA)
Type of planned obsolescence
1 – Systemic obsolescence: Where the product can no longer be maintained, and/or the manufacturer stops supporting it. When the system in which it is utilized continuously develops in a way that makes it challenging to continue using the original product.
2- Perceived obsolescence: When customers decide to upgrade or buy a new model of a product because they think the previous one is no longer useful or valuable. When a person is enticed into replacing something before the old one has lost its functioning.
3 – Programmed obsolescence: In some circumstances, notice may be paired with the purposeful artificial disablement of a working product to force the consumer to acquire a replacement.
How planned obsolescence is affecting us and making us addicted to a particular gadget
We have a persistent temptation to purchase new products from the same company despite not knowing it because of their latest features and improvements. Because items either wear out or become outdated, we have grown accustomed to a relatively short product lifespan in recent decades.
When an appliance malfunctions, the manufacturer frequently advises us to buy a new one instead of attempting to fix it. However, these things fail because they are made to fail, and in many cases, the producer has planned when their useful life will end so that we will have to buy replacements.
The negative aspect of this vicious cycle is that we are forced to keep replacing some items, which results in enormous amounts of electronic garbage being produced. Tons of garbage are generated, and resources are overused, therefore the disadvantages are clear.
Due to their persistent demand for the newest models, consumers are always unhappy and stressed out, which has an impact on the environment. Then we get so dependent on the thing that we show off by purchasing other items from the same brand.
Deliberately making phones slower
Leading consumer technology firms often upgrade their phones with software, which makes the devices slower. By making clients angry with their present equipment, this technique appeals to their frustration. They believe their phone has reached its breaking point, which motivates them to buy a newer one.
Smartphones are manufactured by businesses in a way that makes first repairs extremely challenging. Many components of cellphones are irreparable due to integrated parts and non-removable batteries. Even if the incredibly detailed and tight integration of internal components may have certain benefits, irreparability is the biggest drawback that adversely affects customers in a roundabout way.
The sole reason why smartphone companies operate is to generate profit, the hunger for which can never end. Corporations keep on finding innovative ways to manipulate and trick their customers. Effectively, a large number of people end up falling into these traps and buying new phones.
What we can do to avoid planned obsolescence
At the end, here are several methods to prolong the lifespan of the items you own, regardless of your opinion about planned obsolescence. Repair what you Can, stay away from current trends and create your own gadgets, reuse what you already have, forego proprietary standards, utilize free and open-source software and buy used items.
- IIT Delhi’s Rural Technologies Going Intercontinental
- मेडिकल डेटा प्लेटफॉर्म विकसित करने के लिए नई साझेदारी
- 188 Districts Of The Nation Saw Inadequate Rainfall: IMD
- कोशकीय प्रक्रियाओं से जुड़ा अहम खुलासा
- MGNREGA: Govt. In Debt Of The Workers
About Author
