Guiltinan, J. (2009). Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence. Journal Of Business Ethics, 19. (Will)
From Digital Culture & Society
Will Provencher
Contents |
[edit] Intro
Planned obsolescence is a very tactile way of marketing in today's consumer driven society, and its often how companies have financial success in the technology market. The ability to essentially put expiration dates on pieces of hardware and raw materials is something that was never introduced in the past. There was always talk about the lightbulb that would have the ability to stay intact for years, possibly even decade. Imagine the throwback that would have on companies now - planned obsolescence would merely be a hypothetical theory. Unfortunately, the desire for profit has given companies the mentality of deliberately making their products weaker over time in order for customers to drop the old and purchase the new. It seems alright at first, but planned obsolescence has detrimental economic and environmental effects. Customers will eventually be unable to afford rapidly dying products, and the amount of waste planned obsolescence creates is harmful because of the electronic metals and components that have toxic effects on workers and third world countries. It's bad, and everyone knows it.
[edit] Outline
The article from Guiltinan really looks at the business side of planned obsolescence - what are companies doing with this consumer technique and why they are using it. Fast replacement is a huge part of planned obsolescence, and it's discussed in the article as one of the driving forces behind consumers steadily replacing their products on a yearly or bi-yearly basis. The ethics of planned obsolescence are also discussed, and the ideology that advances in technology hinder environmental growth and human growth is exemplified within the article. He weighs both the business practices and the ethical wrongdoing and takes the perspectives of both parties. The impact planned obsolescence has on society is one of Guiltinan's main discussions in the article, and the environmental detriment on society is too great to be left unchecked. One part of the article that's rather interesting is the idea of ridding the world of planned obsolescence. Considering there are too many ways of implementing expiration dates on tech products, the public and different policy initiatives have the chance to sway companies into making environmentally friendly products (with an affordable price point as well).
[edit] Strength(s)
There are different planned obsolescence practices that are implemented by companies, and Guiltinan inserting them into his article is a welcome addition to this article. It's interesting to learn the different ways technology giants insert kill switches into their products, and there are a few of them (3 in total) that seem all too familiar when it comes business practices and ethics. He also adds some visuals to the overall schematic that is the planned obsolescence plan, and it's beneficial to allow people to get a clear understanding; Adding a chart of the steps that are taken allows the readers to know the entire process and to fully comprehend killing PCs early. Guiltinan also looks at the positives and negatives between companies potentially looking at making environmentally friendly and considerably cheaper products for their customers. In society, people have been internally begging for a product like this, and the pros and cons are explained really well. While it would certainly be a positive for tech companies like Apple and Microsoft to make new products that suit the needs of the planet and it's people, it could lead to the potential of poor business as well, and that's something companies won't want to try.
[edit] Weakness(es)
It's hard to find a weakness in this article because Guiltinan takes a look at both sides of the planned obsolescence argument. It's important to allow readers to see the viewpoints of both sides. While environmentalists and ordinary people strive to make things greener and more affordable, in the end it's all about business, and that unfortunate reality will never change.
Reference: Guiltinan, J. (2009). Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence. Journal Of Business Ethics, 19.
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