Text 1:
“6 months after their date of sale only 1% of products are still in use… 99% of materials are trashed within 6 months.”
Response 1:
When I heard this I paused the video. That is a disgusting statistic. It made me think that all of this is for nothing. It makes me feel piggish. So we are ruining the world, the atmosphere, the natural resources, land, etc. just so that we can consume and dispose within 6 months? That’s insane. I wonder how much of that statistic involves things that are meant to have a short life span, such as household items like toothpaste, paper towels, etc. compared to things that should never really be thrown out, like clothing, shoes, furniture, etc. If the statistic involves much of the latter, I wonder why. Do that many people really throw out tangible items instead of donating or selling them? To be honest, I am skeptical of the validity of this statistic.
Text 2:
Planned obsolescence: designing and producing products in order for them to be used up (obsolete) within a specific time period. Products may be designed for obsolescence either through function, like a paper coffee cup or a machine with breakable parts, or through “desirability,” like a piece of clothing made for this year’s fashion and then replaced by something totally different next year. Planned obsolescence is also known as “design for the dump.”
Perceived obsolescence: the part of planned obsolescence that refers to “desirability”. In other words, an object may continue to be functional, but it is no longer perceived to be stylish or appropriate, so it is rendered obsolete by perception, rather than by function. Fashion is all about perceived obsolescence, and it could be said that perceived obsolescence is the number one “product” of the advertising industry.
Response 2:
In a way, I appreciate how innovative many companies are. I appreciate that they are able to come up with new and/or improved technologies so quickly. However, much of that appreciation comes from my skewed perception of innovation and improvement. How much are companies actually improving their products compared to how much they are using technology to either make products obsolete after a certain period of time or convince us that they are?
« Week of October 20thThe Story of Stuff & The Story of Change »
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