Planned obsolescence, according to the Collins English Dictionary, is “the policy of deliberately limiting the life of a product in order to encourage the purchaser to replace it.” Planned obsolescence is the idea that a product is designed to fail, or fall out of style, rather than being designed for longevity and durability (Hindle; Landes). Planned obsolescence has occurred in many industries such as the textile and automobile industries (Hindle; Landes). Items such as dresswear and cars become stylistically obsolete, even though they still perform adequately for the task they are intended for (Hindle; Landes). Stylistic obsolescence is the primary reason that American decades are so easily identified by their distinctly stylized products. While planned obsolescence does occur in most industries, consumer electronics are a perfect example of the far reaching effects of such short-sighted practices.
The idea of planned obsolescence directly contradicts honest engineering principles and only considers the economic ‘benefits’ of an unstable growth-based economy. The resulting “throw-away” culture has led to various negative environmental and human rights situations. In the current system of waste management, the products have no use after their primary function has been surpassed, and then they are disposed of. If electronics manufacturing and design companies were to plan for the entire lifespan of their product rather than planning their product so that it becomes obsolete quickly, both the environment and humanity would benefit as a whole. This paper will analyze how planned obsolescence negatively affects life on earth, with a major focus on humans. Finally, it will demonstrate how these negative effects can be eventually corr...
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Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction is rooted in the idea of the future will somehow be related to the present. The cell phones of today are related to the cell phones of the past. We don’t carry them in those highly fashionable bags of the past, but we still use the same basic technology to call other people. We also use them to send many ways to communicate, watch video, access the internet, and take pictures. Today’s cell phone was on the edge of what we thought might be possible 20 years ago. This situation applied to both the adjacent possible and creative destruction. A new more technologically advanced cell phone has been produced and better meets our needs than the previous version.
The article “Our E-Waste Problem Is Ridiculous, and Gadget Makers Aren’t Helping” by Christina Bonnington explains that our landfills are being filled with unused electronics of yesteryear. In 2011, there were 41.5 million tons of electronic wastes in landfills. In 2016, they projected the number to go up to 93.5 million tons. Specifically, our old products are in landfills now such as, HP computers, computer towers, cell phones, and batteries. The reason for all the waste is the human race is buying the newest electronics and not disposing of their unused and unwanted electronics properly. Also, not all of the unused electronics are recyclable. E-waste has a huge negative effect while in landfills because electronics breakdown and they breakdown
John Markoff's "The Doomsday Machine" is an intriguing view on how our technology may exponentially improve into the future, but the essay fails to support the thesis statement that our technology will eventually destroy the human race. His dire predictions for our future are based on theories as well as conclusions that are themselves based on theories. These predictions do not account for how other simultaneous technological advancements and the desire for profit will affect our world. It ignores the power of human imagination, ingenuity, feelings, and personal motivation. There is also a complete disregard for God's plan.
they are the creator of these things; so in the end, it is not technology that will be our downfall,
Meaning corporations purposely make products that won’t last or will be otherwise social unacceptable to own in the near future. This is all a trick to cause the consumer to buy more of a product and spend more money. According to Annie Leonard, author of The Story of Stuff, “[designers] discussed how fast they can make stuff break and still leave the consumer with enough faith in the product to go buy another one” (11). This fuels consumption further than necessary and most importantly at an alarmingly wasteful way. Nothing shows more obsolescence than the technology market with computers and phones. Giles Salde wrote an award winning book about technology obsolescence and explains “a century of advertising has conditioned us to want more, better, and faster from any consumer good we purchase, in 2004 about 315 million working PCs were retired in North America” (Planned Obsolescence viewpoint). This shows the affect caused by corporations to increase profits at the cost of resources. They use new software and products being incompatible with previous versions of electronics to force consumers to buy more. You see this commonly with televisions, gaming systems, computers, and many other electronic
“One hundred and thirty-thousand computers are thrown out every day in the U.S., and over one hundred million cell phones every year” (CBS News). We live in a materialistic society where more is good and the newer the better. In our fast paced lives companies used this to their advantage to continual bring out newer upd...
Daily consumers are confronted with advertising campaigns trying to lure their slightly used electronic devices into retirement by being swayed into upgrading to the most recent model. A 2007 study conduct in the United States revealed “500 million used cell phones that are stockpiled in closets and drawers will eventually end up in landfills as electronic waste (E-Waste).” As E-Waste continues to spread across the globe it is growing faster than leaves can grow on trees and it is posing a threat to human health and the environment (E-Cycle).” Consumers recycling cell phones to reuse materials is environmentally and socially beneficial in reducing E-Waste.
Why is this? Is it because many companies are releasing new devices all the time? This is all true, but one of the core reasons is because of our needs and demands which is causing the world to collapse. The fossil fuels that we burn to keep our cars going have caused CO2 to be release into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change in the recent years. Because of us, the CO2 has risen higher than it 's been in the last 800,000 years. All of this technology and computer science plays a big part in climate changes all around the world. Think back to 20 years ago, no one ever thought that electric cars would exist and become a regular sight, but through technology and science people have found ways to create mankind 's wildest dreams. Now a day, people are become so dependent on technology that they are so lazy that they prefer to drive rather than walk to a local shop. We have become so dependent on technology that we are polluting the environment without knowing it. This is not a positive thing, after a few years this could be the end of the world.
Computers, TVs, and various other electronics not only hold the capacity to destroy humanity, but already began to extinguish it. Because of these inventions, people of all ages are affected negatively. Society’s social skills and morals dramatically decreased since the thriving of technology. Some people do not see the downsides to these sources of entertainment; all they see is the pros and do not want to change anything about the amount of usage of these inventions. But what happens when the world reaches a point in time where humans will not be able to function normally without these sources of entertainment because of their addictions to them? Does that not seem like something the world should be worried about?
Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to all consumer electronic products that are ready to be discarded into the waste stream. Once these devices are deposited into landfills, toxic substances leach into the earth and into the water supply. According to a recent study from the Government Accountability Office, 50 million computers become outdated each year, and studies suggest that between 315 and 600 million desktop and laptop computers will soon be obsolete.
From an analysis of the cradle to grave process, it is evident that while the Macbook Pro is not a recyclable product, the product is valuable to consumers because of various technological advances. However, due to the increasing importance of environmentally safe product disposal, Apple will need to modify the manufacturing process to create a recyclable product. The Macbook Pro will become a more popular product if Apple maintains the high standards of technological development and incorporates a low environmental impact into the cradle to grave process.
Unlike the past, technology is a big part of the global world today. The world is advancing in many different ways and technology is a big catalyst. As each day passes more technological advances are being put into effect. The Center of Technology states that “over just the last five years, technology has been rapidly changing and expanding in every field imaginable” (How Technology Has Changed Our Lives in the Last Five Years, 2013). With this in mind, it is difficult to fathom how much it will change in the years to come. In the past, many years of technology were implemented to change the rotary dialer phone to the “brick” cell phone. Changes now of days come faster than we can
In old batteries, there is a toxic lead that is causing health problems for the Taiwan people who are disposing these batteries (Gay, 12). Space is becoming a landfill from the excess of space flights and the radioactive supplies from nuclear reactors, which could come to our atmosphere and explode (Gay, 13). When businesses run out of space to dump their toxic trash they go to poor nations because they do not have strict safety regulations (Gay, 31). The landfills on Earth are not the only place trash is getting put. The ocean is being trashed with plastic bags, soda can holders, and large fishnets, which are harming dolphins, turtles, sea lions, and others (Gay, 69). Military bases in the U.S have more hazardous waste and are responsible for contamination in soil and waters (Gay, 83). There are other hazards happening because we are throwing away so much stuff that companies have to remake all of those products. Incinerators are places where waste is burned to ashes and if we recycle these can go away. Incinerators cause sulfur dioxide, carbon m...
A leading force is today’s technology driven world and that if the latest device is not in your possession then it is in sense a wrong doing. This is not as much of a major concern, the concern is the lack of personal sufficiency when without your device for the smallest amount of time. In the survey...
Has Technology morally put the environment and nature on the back burner? Are we living lifestyles that are constantly putting our health at risk? Due to technology our economic status is on the verge of collapsing? Is there a race by Americans to see who could use the resources of the earth faster? These questions and a lot other arise when discussing the problems with our environment. Through my research paper on an artificial environment I hope to cover those problems that come about when arguing the facts about technology. What can we do to prevent the changes we are making in our environment from destroying the physical basis