Rivera, J. L.,

From Digital Culture & Society

Will Provencher

[edit] Intro

Planned obsolescence: it’s a major problem in today’s world, and it’s a heavily discussed topic among all sorts people. Looking at the mechanics from the people, the corporation, and the environment itself, PO has been a relevant case of interest ever since its inception in the 1920s. It’s only been more magnifying since the 2010s because of the technology that has been put forth by the aggressive corporations in order to sell products. The theory that is often brought up is planned obsolescence being a direct cause to the creation of e-waste, which further ruins the planet and the people that live on it. It could very well be the thing that turns our society into the film Wall-E. Ever see it? It’s that Pixar film about the environmental damage that manufacturing and human consumption can cause on the earth, and the humans of the movie are forced to literally flee the planet because it’s become uninhabitable. The reason that happened is because of the amount of waste created that can’t be managed anymore. It’s an interesting way of foreshadowing, and most of the garbage that’s been piled up is electronic waste. It’s a sad reality, and if the trend of waste keeps going up, that could very well happen to us in the future. It won’t be a movie anymore, and that’s on us as the consumer and producer to change. PO is very real and it’s here to stay – now the question is: what can we do to contain the issue? Companies can start pushing out products that are environmentally friendly, but then there could be issues with how well the product works. Thanks to our helping hand the lightbulb, PO became a term used in the early 1900s up until today. They had the power to last forever when Edison made them, but because of business reasons, their lifespan was brought down to a meager 1000 hours. That may seem like a long time, but compared to practically forever, it’s no time at all. Planned obsolescence affects everyone on the planet, and there’s no end in sight to the business tactic turned environmental enemy – will there ever be an end?

[edit] Outline

This article takes a look at implications – to be exact, the implications that planned obsolescence has on the economy, society and the environment. There are different sections that cover each of the three implications, and it begins with the economy. With planned obsolescence, there is obvious economic motivation behind why it’s used, and there are a few different types of obsolescence itself. To think there are many different ways to make a product obsolete is very telling of what companies are out to do in today’s business world. The different types of obsolescence are as follows: technological, psychological, systemic, and planned. They all fall under the category of product obsolescence, and those along with the planned obsolescence, are viewed as one of the main creators of e-waste. The social aspect of planned obsolescence falls under the category of the psychological. When the newer version of a product arrives on shelves, people are always flocking to the stores to pick up the new phone or laptop. It certainly puts people in a position of being left out, and consumer habits are certainly driven towards this idea of psychological obsolescence. The success of a product lies within the consumer, and this type of PO is how people create e-waste: by throwing away something that is still in perfectly good shape only to be mismanaged. From an environmental point of view, nothing is good. The entire reason why there are piles of electronic garbage in piles is because of the consumer and that’s because of planned obsolescence. The toxicity that electronics release by baking in the heat and interacting with other chemicals is dangerous to those who work in those fields. The countries that tirelessly have to make ends meet by picking up what developed countries have left off has not been a sight for sore eyes. At the end of the day, no one is benefiting from e-waste: the planet gets dumped on, people get dumped on, and the businesses that implement PO get dumped on because of the criticism they receive.

[edit] The Strengths of this Article

The amount of research that went into an article such as this is definitely helpful to understanding the entire history of planned obsolescence and what is has and is currently doing to everyone. Visual explanation incorporated with detailed explanation is a bonus, which allows for readers to further comprehend the points being articulated by the authors. Product lifetime is a major aspect of the factors surrounding planned obsolescence and what allows it to exist, and it’s emphasized in the article to ensure the reader what the main focus is. What I find to be adding to the strengths is the future business models that Rivera and Lallmahomed include near the conclusion to potentially signal a better future. What I notice in reading articles about PO is that there’s never a clear end in sight. While that may be the case, perhaps it’s a good idea to put forth something that could potentially aid in dealing with the crisis. That’s what these two authors did, and it maybe adds a bit of closure to a very detailed literature review.

Reference: Rivera, J. L., & Lallmahomed, A. (2016). Environmental implications of planned obsolescence and product lifetime: a literature review. International Journal Of Sustainable Engineering, 9(2), 119-129.

Link: https://www-tandfonline-com.proxy.library.brocku.ca/doi/pdf/10.1080/19397038.2015.1099757?needAccess=true