Remember when your parents used to say they only used to buy one specific thing and never bought its newest variant when it came out? And they would pass it down to all your uncles and aunts until it was full of rust which would take a very long time? Yes, a very generic yet vivid story in the common household during the late 1990s. But those days are long gone, as we live in a fast world full of short and inefficient essentials. So, if you are exasperated at how things rarely last these days, you are not the only one.
When we talk about things not being good enough, it is usually a multi-dimensional conversation that has various wormholes. First, let’s pick the type of product we are most attached to presently – the smartphone. An excellent electronic device designed to make human lives effective and easier. It is not only something we need now but also something that we associate our identities with. This means brands have always entered the equation. But things were once very simple. Most of us remember or heard of the first phone, the legendary Nokia 1100. Renowned for its durability and compared with the strongest materials known to men, it could work for decades. Fast forward to the present; unless you put much money into buying a phone, it will likely last over a year. That is a poor metric for something lucrative and promising a multi-functional lifestyle.
So, is it just the smartphone industry? Unfortunately, no. From the fashion industry, where brands constantly release cheaper models to meet customer demands, to something minute like the daily appliance, the rigidity of things has always steeped lower as the years have gone by. The constant urge created by consumerism which impacts people’s expectations has shifted the paradigm of industries worldwide. Moving the “slightly used” things for new things on the market has made companies release more products in less time. Hence, what suffered was the quality, and now we live in a cyclic narrative where we keep buying things because we are unsatisfied.
But we still pay good money for the things we buy, so why aren’t they lasting like before? This boils down to several reasons. Firstly, the design process. Designing isn’t merely appearance; many factors and teams work together to make something functional look good. When it comes to design that caters to the expectations of millions of people worldwide, they have to think of 3 key points. Aesthetics, functionality, and manufacturability. The point in which the most change is observed is the last one. The advancement in technology has made building things easier than ever. Bigger machines and higher computing power has allowed humans to be more efficient. However, when manufacturing products for millions of people comes into question, it is practically impossible to simultaneously make them sustainable, presentable, and sellable. As a result, “the replace ” mentality of people induced by advertising and marketing pushes companies to work around the clock to meet the pressure of the human world. While most companies don’t necessarily make things intended to break apart after a certain time, they do focus on delivering “better” products deemed by their customers, thus, lowering the manufacturing quality of their overall effects.
If we dive further down the rabbit hole, the next stop is the economy. The economy has changed dramatically since the last time everything was affordable. With inflation and worldwide events altering the dynamics of the world economy, consumers and manufacturers have been greatly impacted in many ways. The price of materials and labor has skyrocketed because of this. Add that to the constant rise in the urge for consumerism, and high price tags in fancy outlets will start to make sense.
Social media trends don’t make things easier, either. With the rise in social media stars dubbed “influencers,” people quickly get into any trends that these stars start. As a result, they often preach fast fashion, which makes people buy more. In turn, the companies meet the targets preset by their customers. This has led the fashion industry to use cheaper materials to meet deadlines. One such example is the rise of synthetic materials made from petroleum. These materials are used in sportswear, a very popular clothing section in the modern era. However, this has also allowed the fashion industry to become a heavy carbon polluter. They also have difficulty decomposing, adding more substance to the argument.
So, it’s equally tough for consumers and companies to change the scenario. One can’t blame the consumers because they have to keep buying since things often break way before they are supposed to, and on the other hand, companies have to keep the “new is better” mindset because the consumers keep asking for more. But one way to fix this is to advocate for the right to set laws which could change how we see and react to new releases in the tech industry. We could also be more efficient in handling our products too.
Ultimately, everyone needs clarification about how to approach this problem. With the future uncertain, who knows what might happen? However, this doesn’t mean a lack of good products. Doing enough research, seeing customer reviews, and using the internet’s power to know the ins and outs before buying can save us from many bad decisions and splashing unnecessary cash on products. Checking out secondhand items or thrift shops can also be beneficial. Thus, only our actions can change the narrative.
Author- Malik Araf
