The pace of modern life is impetuous. Everything quickly became obsolete. Turning into unnecessary trash, no matter how sad. A year or two, and the thing only takes up space in the house. But throwing it away is usually a shame.
It's even better when clothes or shoes are out of fashion. Or worn out to such an extent that their place is only in a landfill.
It will be about obsolescence, and planned, of much more valuable and useful items. The producers are to blame for this phenomenon. There is a whole field for discussion by supporters and opponents of capitalism)
Seriously though, things are much harsher than you might think. Let's start with a simple question. When was the last time your light bulb burned out?
How do you look at the fact that incandescent lamps made more than a hundred years ago did not burn out for decades?
Edison bulbs, introduced to the market in 1881.
Opponents of this fact will argue that this is all conspiracy theories. In general, the filament of these lamps was made from carbon. Only then did it become tungsten and eight times thinner. For some reason)
Promotional video:
One way or another, but in December 1924 in Geneva there was a meeting of respectable men in strict suits. Heads of companies, manufacturers of incandescent lamps. From the USA - General Electric, England - Associated Electrical Industries, Germany - Osram, the Netherlands - Philips and a number of others, which is smaller.
As a result, these serious and purposeful people created the cartel organization "SA Phoebus" (For euphony in the Russian segment it is called "Phoebus" or "Phoebus". Although it is only translated as "Apollo")
It's not about the name. This organization, to begin with, divided the world market for light bulbs among the participants. And then she set the standard for their maximum service life. Reducing it from year to year. By the forties, it was 1,000 hours. Not more. Otherwise, the manufacturer was fined.
The same cartel organization exists to this day. Changing over a dozen names during this time. And all such collusion is called the light bulb effect.
The story with the planned obsolescence continued in a different area, more interesting for the ladies. In the late thirties, DuPont developed nylon thread.
From which they began to make stockings. This was preceded by an advertising campaign.
Where the slogan stated: "thinner than a web and stronger than steel."
The demand was just exuberant. For example, on May 15, 1940, American ladies bought 5,000,000 pairs of stockings per day. Moreover, the rule was: do not let go of more than two pieces in one hand.
Queue for stockings before the opening of the department store.
A situation has occurred that can be called "The best is the enemy of the good." Lots of enthusiastic customer reviews. Delighted that nylon stockings can be washed every day. They have no demolition, unlike silk ones, they are practically "eternal". All this did not add joy to the DuPont management.
Despite the decent, at that time, cost of $ 1 15 cents and huge demand, they quickly calculated how long it would take to completely cover the demand of the American market. Then they gave the instructions to chemical engineers: to immediately make adjustments to the design and composition of the thread, in order to avoid the same "steel strength". What was done.
Let's move on to other examples of deliberate obsolescence laid down by the manufacturer. It's about computers, gadgets, and more.
Now one of the income items of a number of Third World countries is the reception of industrial waste from abroad. Moreover, in the papers, it is designated as used household appliances. All this rubbish is brought in by large-size cargo ships.
In most cases, this whole technique works. Only sometimes it requires minor repairs. This is what the locals are trying to do. But even such devices are already unnecessary.
Because current capitalism has severely perverted the idea: "We are not rich enough to buy cheap things." Trying to make of every greedy consumer. To whom it is not just always not enough, but he constantly wants something new. Let it cost much more, but the latest model. A typical example of this is the constantly updated line of iPhones.
The fact that the device bought a couple of years ago is still working is not very reassuring. Soon his battery will "run out", which is problematic to replace. Or there will be updates and applications that it does not support. So, it remains only to throw it away. Taking a loan for a new model. Solid consumerism. And there is no end to it.
Here's a story.