Some of Ch. 9 of Made to Break summary

Here is the first part of chapter 9, Made to Break -the last chapter.

Electronic components- built to have short lives. Cell phones, computers are only lasting a short amount of time compared to what they could be lasting (a long time) because of obsolescence. After the short use, electronics are thrown away, as a result, the amount of e-waste in the U.S. is increasing. This leads to burning the e-waste, which leads to toxins filling the air, which leads to health issues for residents: air pollution and when buried, seeps in soil and poisons it. Currently, the U.S. exports e-waste materials to developing countries for unregulated disassembly- but as organizations become stricter; the U.S. will soon be prevented from this- which is good. Cause for e-waste: increasing short lifespan of electronics and miniaturization.

Why E-waste occurs: Cell phone e-waste is growing – ppl who already have cell phones are replacing them with newer models; ppl who have a phone are getting a second one. This makes the term “obsolescence” obsolete because “it makes no sense to call a working phone obsolete when the make and model is still available for purchase and continues to provide service.” Cell phones are being thrown away and not disassembled for reuse- which contributes to the many sitting in landfills- a storage problem no program has imagined will be able to solve. E-waste happens becaue consumers value what is new and not old. Advertising makes us believe that what we have now is no good and we need to buy the new item by encouraging dissatisfaction. Rapid evolution of technology has rendered everything ‘disposable.’ Colin Campbell studied consumption and looked at the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that surround the acquisition of new goods. Studied what he called “neophilia,” or love of new things. Three types of neophiliacs. In relation to neophilia is a form of conformity, social cascade. America is participating in a worldwide cascade of cell phones...