Critical Analysis- Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America

I feel like the first part of the book, Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America, written by Giles Slade, gives us an inkling as to why Americans are over consumptive and materialistic. During the late 1800's and early 1900’s, America began to suffer from an overproduction problem due to the advance in technology. Manufacturers needed to figure out how to increase demand for certain products as well as overcome a distribution problem to ensure delivery all across the United States (10). In response, many solutions came about including branding and the development of disposable products. Branding, which was meant to attract consumers and create an association of reliability with a product, became very crucial for increasing demand. Manufacturers relied on consumers to consistently buy the same product again and again. In fact, branding was such a success that brand names such as Band-Aid, came to be used as generic terms for products. The development of disposable products was also a success. Products such as the disposable razor blades were consistent, reliable, and convenient, and forced the consumer to come back. Women were of special importance in the early 20th century because it was more and more common for women to do the spending and shopping in a household. In a mass consumerist culture, new products such as Kotex and Kleenex were especially aimed at an audience of women. Of course, there were many implications that came along with the invention of disposable products. The throwing away of disposable products caused people to make these same generalizations toward other products that wouldn't normally be thrown away. The wasting of perfectly working things causes product obsolescence (24). As time went by, it becomes more obvious that the aesthetically appealing products are more important than the actual proper functioning of a product- a type of obsolescence of style. For example, as much as Henry Ford is admired for his determination to create a long lasting product and maintaining a low cost, it is this logic that had caused his mistake. Where Ford refused to redesign the Model T, General Motors chose to do just this by "repackaging" their own cars (36). We, as Americans, have become a product of conspicuous consumption. We are addicted to buying new products that specifically display our wealth. We throw out barely worn clothes just to make room for new clothes, in the hopes of increasing our status. It is actually kind of sickening to think of how materialistic our society has become. Consumerism has engulfed our lives to the point that one of the main goals in life is to own every new product that comes out on the market. No one wants to be left behind using obsolete technology. The last page that I left off reading especially bothers me. Manufacturers were and still are encouraged to produce products that last a shorter period of time than they're capable of. We are getting ripped off all in the name of demand and profit.