Planned and cultural obsolescence has profoundly influenced our consumer behavior, often pushing us to replace our devices with newer models, even when they still work. This is the basic premise that gave rise to the idea for a Netflix documentary called “Buy Now: These brands that manipulate us”, which exposes how companies cultivate our appetite for new gadgets.
Reasoned consumption in sight
Large companies like Apple, Google and Samsung don’t just sell a product; they create an artificial need for constant renewal, which contributes to the massive accumulation of electronic waste. This waste, largely unrecycled, adds a considerable burden to the environment, releasing toxins into soil and water.
iFixit, a company dedicated to promoting repairability that we know very well here thanks to its disassembly of iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches and other AirPods, highlights a sad reality: the The majority of devices considered “irreparable” are so not for lack of technical possibility, but because the spare parts, necessary tools or technical expertise are not accessible to the general public. Obsolescence is therefore often artificially imposed by commercial and legal barriers rather than by natural product failure.
To counter this throwaway culture, iFixit and other players advocate repair. Indeed, repair is not only an ecological and economical solution, it also represents an act of resistance against the system of planned obsolescence. Moreover, during events like Black Friday, iFixit offers promotions not to encourage purchasing more, but to provide tools and knowledge needed to repair existing devices. This could include kits to repair iPhones, Macs or household appliances, encouraging sustainability and autonomy rather than frenzied consumption.
Repair goes beyond simply refinishing an object; it invites us to rethink our relationship with the objects we own. The Netflix documentary reminds us that every device has value beyond its initial life cycle and that we can, through our actions, extend that lifespan. By choosing to repair instead of replace, we are part of a broader movement for a more sustainable world, where the value of a product is not based solely on its newness, but on its ability to be maintained and reused.
In short, the documentary invites you to think before buying, in particular by checking whether it is possible to repair in order to preserve our environment. This will also have an impact on the product renewal cycle. At Apple for example, we denounced the lack of new features on the iPhone 16 range compared to last year, the firm being able to only offer updates every two years.
Here is the trailer:
