Obsolescence

It seems to me that various themes/industries are converging by overlapping on their ideas. We start off with something as simple as lanterns and then we move to a light bulb and end up with a hi-tech device that produces light only by the use of sunshine. Everything seems to run off of one another and that’s where the whole idea of obsolescence comes in. If you want to move on and have newer and better items, it seems that making older items obsolete is the only way we know how to move on. Within Slade’s approach to obsolescence, he does not seem to have a counter argument to his main theme. Slade basically talks about the need to make items obsolescent and how it helps our economy stable but what about the negative effects it may cause? He never shows the readers a down side to things becoming obsolete. In reality, we are now seeing the down side of obsolescence in items such as computers, TV’s, and other major products that are being thrown by the wayside because of its obsolescence. Although it is great when businesses come out with a new computer or flat screen TV, I feel it is important to stop and think about where we are going to put all the old versions we no longer want because they seem “out-dated” to us.

When I think about whether or not industry can succeed without obsolescence, I really am not sure. All I have ever known in my lifetime is for items to become obsolete because newer versions of that item are created. Then, from here, businesses thrive and the people involved also benefit, too. So, when I think about a society where obsolescence is not present, I don’t know if it is possible because how will we improve or keep up with our needs. For the sake of our current waste problems, I would like to think that we could succeed without obsolescence but ultimately I am not sure how that is possible, so no, I do not think industry can succeed without obsolescence.