{"id":594188,"date":"2023-01-05T05:49:25","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T11:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/your-stuff-is-actually-worse-now\/"},"modified":"2023-01-05T05:49:25","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T11:49:25","slug":"your-stuff-is-actually-worse-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/your-stuff-is-actually-worse-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Your stuff is actually worse now"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

My beloved 10-year-old black bra finally broke last Christmas. The elastic had some slack and it\u2019d been fraying for a while, but its death sentence came when the underwire popped out the side. While it wasn\u2019t particularly special \u2014 just a normal T-shirt bra \u2014 it was comfortable and had clearly lasted a long time. So, I did what any sensible person who is afraid of change would do: bought the exact same thing, from the same brand, again. <\/p>\n

I eagerly waited for my shipment of my new bras (in two trendy colorways!) to come in. When they arrived, I noticed that there were a few key differences: there was a new fourth clasp, the band was tighter, and the material was a whole lot softer. Certainly, these were improvements, I thought. <\/p>\n

I was wrong.<\/p>\n

Within a few washes, the hooks had become mangled, unable to neatly adhere themselves to the clasps. Instead, they would claw at my back. The straps frayed quicker than I expected. Nothing changed in my care; I had assumed that because I treated my previous bra carelessly throughout my teens and college years, these new versions could withstand similar conditions.<\/p>\n

I felt unmoored for months. Why would the same item be worse years later? Shouldn\u2019t it be better? But here\u2019s the thing: My lackluster bra is far from the only consumer good that\u2019s faced a dip in comparative quality. All manner of things we wear, plus kitchen appliances, personal tech devices, and construction tools, are among the objects that have been stunted by a concerted effort to simultaneously expedite the rate of production while making it more difficult to easily repair what we already own, experts say.<\/p>\n

In the 10 years since I bought that old bra, new design norms, shifting consumer expectations, and emboldened trend cycles have all coalesced into a monster of seemingly endless growth. We buy, buy, buy, and we\u2019ve been tricked \u2014 for far longer than the last decade \u2014 into believing that buying more stuff, new<\/em> stuff is the way. By swapping out slightly used items so frequently, we\u2019re barely pausing to consider if the replacement items are an upgrade, or if we even have the option to repair what we already have. Worse yet, we\u2019re playing into corporate narratives that undercut the labor that makes our items worth keeping.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you change the style regularly, people get tired of the style,\u201d says Matthew Bird<\/a>, a professor of industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design. \u201cThey start to treat cars like sweaters \u2014 it\u2019s become grossly accelerated. The pressure to make more stuff, of course, lowers the quality of what\u2019s being made, because the development and testing is just accelerated even more.\u201d <\/p>\n

The design process, explained<\/h3>\n

Design is more than the mere aesthetics of an object; it can also be a solution to a problem. These problems do not necessarily have to be physical or tangible \u2014 systems and virtual environments are also subject to design. Ideally, design is the marriage of appearance and utility that creates a considered end result. <\/p>\n

When we\u2019re producing objects or services for millions of people, we\u2019re talking about industrial design, or the professionalization of these processes at scale. According to the Industrial Designers Society of America<\/a>, industrial designers often focus on three things: appearance, functionality, and manufacturability. That last part is where the most change is happening. <\/p>\n

Historically, Bird says, if a craftsperson wanted to make something \u2014 say, a tea kettle \u2014 you would adjust it with each attempt. Maybe the first iteration was hammered metal and the handles were uncomfortable. Perhaps the next was ceramic, but it didn\u2019t sing when the water was ready. You would go back to the drawing board. \u201cEventually, in a couple of generations of tea kettles, I would be making the perfect form that did everything perfectly,\u201d Bird says. \u201cIt\u2019s all great because I was responding to my customers one at a time and it was handmade.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first major shift came when the Industrial Revolution<\/a> introduced machinery and tooling into the design process, exponentially increasing the scale of production. Now, instead of hammering out one kettle, you could use a machine to stamp out the parts. Rinse and repeat. However, if you designed a bad tea kettle, you would be stuck with thousands of them \u2014 a huge, expensive mistake. This is still the case.<\/p>\n

While machines have dramatically increased how much can be produced and how fast, humans are still mostly involved every step of the way from ideation to production. Today, nearly everything is assembled by human hands, even if some parts are 3D-printed, cast, or spun by machines. \u201cYou\u2019ve done all these other steps, and then you have the person who sits there and actually puts these pieces together,\u201d says Cora Harrington<\/a>, a writer and lingerie expert. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how complicated. It doesn\u2019t matter how simple. We don\u2019t have robots that put together our clothing automatically, so it\u2019s all done by an expert.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Great Depression, too, changed the very nature of consumerism. The economy desperately needed stimulation \u2014 and consumer goods were one way to do it. It was around this period that advertising heavyweight Earnest Elmo Calkins<\/a> laid out a selling strategy that came to define purchasing habits for the next century: \u201cconsumer engineering,\u201d or how advertisers and designers could artificially create demand, often by making older objects seem undesirable. Real estate broker Bernard London is often credited with coining this process as \u201cplanned obsolescence\u201d through his 1932 paper<\/a> that suggested the government put a lease on products\u2019 life. \u201cThat\u2019s when manufactured products started to be sort of done in season for the cycles and fashion,\u201d Bird says.<\/p>\n

Fast-forward a handful of decades, and now several generations of people are conditioned to buy the new thing and to keep replacing it. Companies, in turn, amp up production accordingly. It\u2019s less so that objects are intended to break \u2014 functional planned obsolescence, if you will \u2014 but rather that consumer mindsets are oriented around finding the better object. But \u201cbetter\u201d doesn\u2019t always mean long-lasting when companies are incentivized to produce faster and faster and faster. <\/p>\n

Cutting corners and moving fast <\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s circle back to the bra I bought a decade ago and its lesser younger sibling. <\/p>\n

When I spoke to Harrington, the lingerie expert, about my dilemma, her first question for me was about price. To my recollection, the old bra and the new one were about the same: somewhere between $30 and $40. That, for Harrington, was the key: In the last 10 years, in the wake of the climate crisis and the pandemic and steady and then skyrocketing inflation, the cost of fabric, other materials, and labor has increased. <\/p>\n

It can be difficult for consumers to recognize that the landscape has changed because they\u2019re not primed to see the full picture, Harrington explains. She mentions how when she writes about the state of fast fashion, she often gets pushback from new readers who say their older fast fashion pieces have lasted a long time. \u201cYes! Many of us bought cheap clothing 10 years ago that\u2019s still fine,\u201d she says. \u201cBut 10 years ago, our clothing was higher quality than it is now. That is actually part of the point.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s actually impossible to buy the same bra I had in high school for the same price. It\u2019s simply more expensive to produce now than it was then.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t exactly want to pay more for all that stuff,\u201d Harrington says. \u201cSo what has to happen if everything is more expensive and the customers still want to pay the same price, something has to be cut and that\u2019s often going to be the quality of the garment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Usually that\u2019s accomplished with a change in material. This could be a thinner, new-to-market fabric, or a more fragile clasp, for instance. The average customer isn\u2019t going to know the difference, especially when shopping online. \u201cThere is an entire generation of consumers at this point that doesn\u2019t actually know what high-quality clothing feels like and looks like,\u201d Harrington says. \u201cIt gets easier, I think, for consumers to just not know any better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The electronics industry is also susceptible to material changes because products are competing against each other on price point, says Gay Gordon-Byrne, the executive director of the Repair Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though designers may say, \u2018Oh, this is just as good,\u2019 the components themselves are increasingly plastic instead of metal,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019re using more glue instead of screws. There\u2019s some definite design trends that are making these things not work very long. A friend of mine was a big HP reseller and he said that it used to be that you could take that $4,000 HP LaserJet that you\u2019d have in your office, drop it off the back of a truck, and plug it in. It would still work. But that was no longer the case as new generations came around and they were made with more and more plastic.\u201d <\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the classic way companies keep costs low: underpaying and overworking workers<\/a>. The speed at which workers are expected to produce and deliver goods is faster than ever before \u2014 and speed will always be at odds with quality. An increase in consumer demand<\/a> for same-day or two-day delivery, as well as the hunger for real-time microtrends<\/a>, are both incentivizing companies to churn, churn, churn. <\/p>\n

Take a gander at ultra-fast fashion giant Shein\u2019s $100 billion valuation<\/a>. Social media helps accelerate<\/a> the trend cycle even further. Consumers are buying five times more clothing<\/a> than they did back in the 1980s. In order to produce goods that fast, both the quality of the item and the quality of life for workers<\/a> have to take a hit. This is happening alongside a decrease of prices for the consumer (not rooted in reality!) to encourage more trend-oriented shopping and haul buying<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is money,\u201d Harrington says. \u201cEven as poor or cheap as that garment worker\u2019s labor is, it\u2019s still a significant part of the garment because there is no way to replace that labor. Some of what you\u2019re seeing in that race to the bottom is that literally the time is not being spent in making the thing that would help the thing last longer. If you spend cheap money on something, you cannot expect it to be high quality. You have to make a choice there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, there are shifts in production methods that help companies avoid higher labor costs. Again, robots do not wholesale make our things, but for products like phones, computers, remote controls, and the like, it\u2019s often cheaper to design in a way that reduces human labor. This can mean using as few parts as possible; if you can design by plate or by chunk, especially if the object has to be manually completed, it\u2019ll save a lot of time, and therefore money. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the design of objects, they\u2019re trying to reduce the amount of labor, and that changes what the object is,\u201d Bird says. \u201cThat produces cheaper goods, but it doesn\u2019t necessarily produce better goods.\u201d<\/p>\n

While pinching pennies can sometimes lead to interesting solutions to old problems, a whole new suite of issues tends to unfurl. For the fashion industry, it\u2019s easy to look at the rise of synthetic materials, which offer utility for exercise clothing as well as a way to avoid using animal products. Synthetic fabrics, however, are made from petroleum and have propelled the industry to become one of the top carbon polluters<\/a> in the world. Synthetics also have a paradox problem: They fall apart easier, but they don\u2019t entirely decompose<\/a> as well as natural material. <\/p>\n

The tech industry has similarly had to contend with the fallout of seemingly improving on products while at the same time simplifying design elements to save money. Apple\u2019s butterfly keyboard<\/a> is a prime example; the thinner keyboard was great for reducing a laptop\u2019s weight, but the keys got stuck all the time. Because the keyboard was designed to be one piece, a consumer couldn\u2019t fix a single stuck key by themselves without the right equipment \u2014 they had to go to the Apple Store to replace either the keys or the whole keyboard. Kitchen appliances and other utilitarian objects are now also suffering the same fate with the inclusion of techy selling points (touchscreen blenders, automatic espresso machines, those goofy fridges with the screens on them), but with little maintenance infrastructure or the ability to repair those new features, Gordon-Byrne says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the problems being a designer is that you solve some problems and in the process of solving them, you invent all these new problems,\u201d Bird says. \u201cThat\u2019s just an inherent part of design. There\u2019s no way to not do that. If you\u2019re creating innovation, you\u2019re also creating future problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the cycle continues.<\/p>\n

What it takes to keep what you own <\/h3>\n

Design has shifted more toward manufacturability and appearance than functionality, when it should be a balance of all three. Arguably, it\u2019s nearly impossible for corporations to avoid participating in the trend cycle as long as consumers have an appetite for more \u2014 whether it\u2019s a predilection for cooler clothing or whatever new incremental yet buzzy technology just came out. At the same time, the blame does not lie on consumers\u2019 shoulders; corporations are responsible for creating and stoking the \u201cnew and more is better\u201d culture we have today.<\/p>\n

Perhaps if companies took the first step and made their products feel timeless both in form and function, there\u2019d be less demand for new things and a decreased pressure for speed. But major corporations will almost certainly never go for that, and it\u2019s unlikely the majority of consumers will unlearn current buying habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cA better iPhone would be one that I can use for 20 years and keep upgrading,\u201d Bird says. \u201cBut that\u2019s not how we define better, right? Nobody wants an iPhone 14 because it will last for 10 years. They want it because it has a fancier camera or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if you do want to hop off the treadmill of constantly buying and keep what you already have, companies have made that harder too. Your goods probably have a shorter life span than they did years ago, and if you want to repair them \u2014 especially tech \u2014 you\u2019ll come up against major barriers. <\/p>\n

For years, Apple opposed right-to-repair laws<\/a>, claiming they would expose company secrets. Because their screws are proprietary<\/a>, you need special equipment to open up a device. This meant swinging by the dreaded Genius Bar or an authorized third-party shop to fix a broken screen until 2021, when Apple announced<\/a> it would finally sell the parts required to open (and therefore fix) a device following years of activism from folks like Gordon-Byrne and pressure from regulators. Apple\u2019s products still remain some of the toughest to repair on your own, according to iFixit<\/a>, but the company is not alone in opposing right-to-repair; Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Tesla, John Deere, and General Electric have all spent billions lobbying against right-to-repair laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy I\u2019m fighting so hard for a right to repair is that nobody is telling me I can\u2019t sew a button,\u201d Gordon-Byrne says. \u201cNobody is refusing to sell me a needle and thread. Where that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening with technology. It shouldn\u2019t happen. That level of control should not be their level.\u201d <\/p>\n

There is hope thanks to consumer action, says Gordon-Byrne. New York was the first to pass a right-to-repair law<\/a> last month, and the Federal Trade Commission<\/a> has been investigating the issue. <\/p>\n

\u201cI see this every day,\u201d Gordon-Byrne says. \u201cConsumers are so much more powerful politically, legislatively than they ever dream \u2014 and it\u2019s not the act of voting. That\u2019s probably the least powerful thing. The most powerful thing is for a consumer to literally pick up the phone, call their local representative. Let me tell you, when I sit down with a legislator, I can hand them a list of 400 names of their own constituents that say, \u2018I want my right to repair.\u2019 That\u2019s huge. That moves the needle. It moves the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning how to fix your own stuff can be simultaneously overwhelming and empowering, says Zach Dinicola, the founder of Mr. Mixer<\/a>, a company that repairs KitchenAids in Kansas and other parts of the Midwest. It\u2019s a \u201ccrying shame\u201d that there are efforts to make it harder to fix things on your own, he said, which is why he shares tutorials<\/a> with more than 450,000 followers on TikTok. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that there are more people who want to fix it,\u201d he says. \u201cThey just don\u2019t necessarily know it\u2019s an option. People don\u2019t know what they don\u2019t know. There\u2019s a DIY person in all of us. If someone can present the information in a format that\u2019s easy to follow along, more people would be willing to do that.\u201d <\/p>\n

The beauty of fixing an object and keeping it around in your life, Dinicola continues, is that the object becomes very sentimental. \u201cThat\u2019s one thing that I just know from being in this business,\u201d he says. \u201cThese mixers really become part of the family, especially when they\u2019re handed down from grandmother to mother. I\u2019ve worked on third- and fourth-generation mixers that have been handed down from great-grandma to grandma to mom to daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

You could probably say the same thing for vintage clothing \u2014 what\u2019s better than getting a chic leather purse from your mom\u2019s closet or the cool secondhand shop in your neighborhood? Although no one is prohibiting people from repairing clothing, the lack of quality in modern fashion means it\u2019s important to be thoughtful about what you\u2019re buying and how you\u2019re taking care<\/a> of what you already own. Knowing what material your clothing is made of<\/a> is key to knowing how to wash and dry it, which can elongate its life. \u201cIf I visit the tab for fabric composition and there\u2019s nothing there, it\u2019s an instantaneous red flag,\u201d Harrington says. \u201cYou want to know what fibers are in the garments you\u2019re buying. That in and of itself is something everyone can do. That can be the first step toward getting more familiar with what quality garments might look and feel like.\u201d <\/p>\n

I hate to say that the onus is on us, but in many ways it is. Corporations aren\u2019t going to do this work for us, or without us. Consumers need to be able to identify quality, learn to take care of what they own, and advocate for regulations and legislation wherever right-to-repair doesn\u2019t yet exist. Buy less or secondhand, and when you do buy something new \u2014 it happens! \u2014 make sure to do your research. <\/p>\n

rn rn vox-mark<\/title>rn rn <defs><\/defs>rn <g id=\"Page-1\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" >rn <path d=\"M239.811,0 L238.424,6 L259.374,6 C278.011,6 292.908,17.38 292.908,43.002 C292.908,56.967 287.784,75.469 276.598,96.888 L182.689,305.687 L159.283,35.693 C159.283,13.809 168.134,6 191.88,6 L205.854,6 L207.247,0 L1.409,0 L0,6 L13.049,6 C28.88,6 35.863,15.885 37.264,34.514 L73.611,385 L160.221,385 L304.525,79.217 C328.749,31.719 349.237,6 372.525,6 L384.162,6 L385.557,0 L239.811,0\" id=\"vox-mark\" fill=\"#444745\" ><\/path>rn <\/g>rn<\/svg>“,”cross_community”:false,”groups”:[{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:74581,”timestamp”:1672840804,”title”:”The Goods”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https:\/\/www.vox.com\/the-goods”,”slug”:”the-goods”,”community_logo”:”rn<svg width=\"386px\" height=\"385px\" viewBox=\"0 0 386 385\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" >rn rn <title>vox-mark<\/title>rn rn <defs><\/defs>rn <g id=\"Page-1\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" >rn <path d=\"M239.811,0 L238.424,6 L259.374,6 C278.011,6 292.908,17.38 292.908,43.002 C292.908,56.967 287.784,75.469 276.598,96.888 L182.689,305.687 L159.283,35.693 C159.283,13.809 168.134,6 191.88,6 L205.854,6 L207.247,0 L1.409,0 L0,6 L13.049,6 C28.88,6 35.863,15.885 37.264,34.514 L73.611,385 L160.221,385 L304.525,79.217 C328.749,31.719 349.237,6 372.525,6 L384.162,6 L385.557,0 L239.811,0\" id=\"vox-mark\" fill=\"#444745\" ><\/path>rn <\/g>rn<\/svg>“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https:\/\/www.vox.com\/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:2348,”always_show”:false,”description”:”<span><\/span>“,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/12880947\/sandbox_TheGoods_Logo_HypeType_final_Black.0-1.0.jpg”,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:true},{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:27524,”timestamp”:1672833607,”title”:”Technology”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https:\/\/www.vox.com\/technology”,”slug”:”technology”,”community_logo”:”rn<svg width=\"386px\" height=\"385px\" viewBox=\"0 0 386 385\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" >rn rn <title>vox-mark<\/title>rn rn <defs><\/defs>rn <g id=\"Page-1\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" >rn <path d=\"M239.811,0 L238.424,6 L259.374,6 C278.011,6 292.908,17.38 292.908,43.002 C292.908,56.967 287.784,75.469 276.598,96.888 L182.689,305.687 L159.283,35.693 C159.283,13.809 168.134,6 191.88,6 L205.854,6 L207.247,0 L1.409,0 L0,6 L13.049,6 C28.88,6 35.863,15.885 37.264,34.514 L73.611,385 L160.221,385 L304.525,79.217 C328.749,31.719 349.237,6 372.525,6 L384.162,6 L385.557,0 L239.811,0\" id=\"vox-mark\" fill=\"#444745\" ><\/path>rn <\/g>rn<\/svg>“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https:\/\/www.vox.com\/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:2199,”always_show”:false,”description”:”How new technology is transforming cities and societies, from the latest apps to advances in renewable energy, computing, transportation, and more.”,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/22360844\/VoxTech_Highlight_2.gif”,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:false},{“base_type”:”EntryGroup”,”id”:80301,”timestamp”:1672833607,”title”:”Recode”,”type”:”SiteGroup”,”url”:”https:\/\/www.vox.com\/recode”,”slug”:”recode”,”community_logo”:”rn<svg width=\"386px\" height=\"385px\" viewBox=\"0 0 386 385\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" >rn rn <title>vox-mark<\/title>rn rn <defs><\/defs>rn <g id=\"Page-1\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" >rn <path d=\"M239.811,0 L238.424,6 L259.374,6 C278.011,6 292.908,17.38 292.908,43.002 C292.908,56.967 287.784,75.469 276.598,96.888 L182.689,305.687 L159.283,35.693 C159.283,13.809 168.134,6 191.88,6 L205.854,6 L207.247,0 L1.409,0 L0,6 L13.049,6 C28.88,6 35.863,15.885 37.264,34.514 L73.611,385 L160.221,385 L304.525,79.217 C328.749,31.719 349.237,6 372.525,6 L384.162,6 L385.557,0 L239.811,0\" id=\"vox-mark\" fill=\"#444745\" ><\/path>rn <\/g>rn<\/svg>“,”community_name”:”Vox”,”community_url”:”https:\/\/www.vox.com\/”,”cross_community”:false,”entry_count”:22858,”always_show”:false,”description”:”Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing \u2014 and changing us.”,”disclosure”:””,”cover_image_url”:””,”cover_image”:null,”title_image_url”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/16201674\/REC_Wordmark_Red_RGB.0.png”,”intro_image”:null,”four_up_see_more_text”:”View All”,”primary”:false}],”internal_groups”:[],”image”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821657\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg”,”network”:”unison”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:”Walter Zerma\/Getty Images”,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:2359,”top_left_y”:1423,”bottom_right_x”:3257,”bottom_right_y”:2321},”bounds”:[0,0,5616,3744],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:5616,”height”:3744},”focal_point”:null,”image_id”:71821657,”alt_text”:”A pile of smashed computer parts on the floor”},”hub_image”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821657\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg”,”network”:”unison”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:”Walter Zerma\/Getty Images”,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:2359,”top_left_y”:1423,”bottom_right_x”:3257,”bottom_right_y”:2321},”bounds”:[0,0,5616,3744],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:5616,”height”:3744},”focal_point”:null,”image_id”:71821657,”alt_text”:”A pile of smashed computer parts on the floor”},”lede_image”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg”,”network”:”unison”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:”Walter Zerma\/Getty Images”,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:2359,”top_left_y”:1423,”bottom_right_x”:3257,”bottom_right_y”:2321},”bounds”:[0,0,5616,3744],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:5616,”height”:3744},”focal_point”:null,”image_id”:71821670,”alt_text”:”A pile of smashed computer parts on the floor”},”group_cover_image”:null,”picture_standard_lead_image”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg”,”network”:”unison”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:”Walter Zerma\/Getty Images”,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:2359,”top_left_y”:1423,”bottom_right_x”:3257,”bottom_right_y”:2321},”bounds”:[0,0,5616,3744],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:5616,”height”:3744},”focal_point”:null,”image_id”:71821670,”alt_text”:”A pile of smashed computer parts on the floor”,”picture_element”:{“html”:{},”alt”:”A pile of smashed computer parts on the floor”,”default”:{“srcset”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/7XEbuyEuau6s9qzrk3ybr7dSzzo=\/0x0:5616×3744\/320×240\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/MzLXfePoNRyFqSFBw1u5kzzyfc4=\/0x0:5616×3744\/620×465\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/bGBXSMqqGoHD1xThBq8g4K9qUcM=\/0x0:5616×3744\/920×690\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/qzHbBotp9l6rWbWi-rMAjeBLBao=\/0x0:5616×3744\/1220×915\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/Auc735IXhQR2Cp4JvnCZUUTcVG0=\/0x0:5616×3744\/1520×1140\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 1520w”,”webp_srcset”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/AFtfyv_jk43rwoPR41EfkKbgiNI=\/0x0:5616×3744\/320×240\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/qiQW0KbkqeChl-NDzPvpzyLVwZM=\/0x0:5616×3744\/620×465\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/QXd-3EgVew7WkiwtkcytRdgIQrA=\/0x0:5616×3744\/920×690\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/PF1ChIkUyW3ohc0WSo76KSupQDQ=\/0x0:5616×3744\/1220×915\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/8y_jFtROsfL0Y8-QwmgjBcFC1yI=\/0x0:5616×3744\/1520×1140\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321):format(webp)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg 1520w”,”media”:null,”sizes”:”(min-width: 809px) 485px, (min-width: 600px) 60vw, 100vw”,”fallback”:”https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/cScwk7sNKH_rttLTOgemx4pTK-Y=\/0x0:5616×3744\/1200×900\/filters:focal(2359×1423:3257×2321)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/71821670\/GettyImages_152832047.0.jpg”},”art_directed”:[]}},”image_is_placeholder”:false,”image_is_hidden”:false,”network”:”vox”,”omits_labels”:true,”optimizable”:false,”promo_headline”:”Your stuff is actually worse now”,”recommended_count”:0,”recs_enabled”:false,”slug”:”the-goods\/23529587\/consumer-goods-quality-fast-fashion-technology”,”dek”:”How the cult of consumerism ushered in an era of badly made products.”,”homepage_title”:”Your stuff is actually worse now”,”homepage_description”:”How the cult of consumerism ushered in an era of badly made products.”,”show_homepage_description”:false,”title_display”:”Your stuff is actually worse now”,”pull_quote”:null,”voxcreative”:false,”show_entry_time”:true,”show_dates”:true,”paywalled_content”:false,”paywalled_content_box_logo_url”:””,”paywalled_content_page_logo_url”:””,”paywalled_content_main_url”:””,”article_footer_body”:”Millions turn to Vox to educate themselves, their family, and their friends about what\u2019s happening in the world around them, and to learn about things that spark their curiosity. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. rn <a href=\"rnhttp:\/\/vox.com\/pages\/support-now?itm_campaign=jan2023-footer&itm_medium=site&itm_source=article-footer_default \">Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today.rn<\/a>“,”article_footer_header”:”<a href=\"http:\/\/vox.com\/pages\/support-now?itm_campaign=help-us-plan-eoy22&itm_medium=site&itm_source=article-footer \">Will you support Vox\u2019s explanatory journalism?<\/a>“,”use_article_footer”:true,”article_footer_cta_annual_plans”:”{rn “default_plan”: 1,rn “plans”: [rn {rn “amount”: 95,rn “plan_id”: 74295rn },rn {rn “amount”: 120,rn “plan_id”: 81108rn },rn {rn “amount”: 250,rn “plan_id”: 77096rn }rn ]rn}”,”article_footer_cta_button_annual_copy”:”year”,”article_footer_cta_button_copy”:”Yes, I’ll give”,”article_footer_cta_button_monthly_copy”:”month”,”article_footer_cta_default_frequency”:”annual”,”article_footer_cta_monthly_plans”:”{rn “default_plan”: 1,rn “plans”: [rn {rn “amount”: 9,rn “plan_id”: 77780rn },rn {rn “amount”: 20,rn “plan_id”: 69279rn },rn {rn “amount”: 50,rn “plan_id”: 46947rn }rn ]rn}”,”article_footer_cta_once_plans”:”{rn “default_plan”: 0,rn “plans”: [rn {rn “amount”: 20,rn “plan_id”: 69278rn },rn {rn “amount”: 50,rn “plan_id”: 48880rn },rn {rn “amount”: 100,rn “plan_id”: 46607rn }rn ]rn}”,”use_article_footer_cta_read_counter”:true,”use_article_footer_cta”:true,”layout”:”content_overlay”,”featured_placeable”:false,”video_placeable”:false,”disclaimer”:null,”volume_placement”:”lede”,”video_autoplay”:false,”youtube_url”:”http:\/\/bit.ly\/voxyoutube”,”facebook_video_url”:””,”play_in_modal”:true,”user_preferences_for_privacy_enabled”:false,”show_branded_logos”:true,”uses_video_lede”:false,”image_brightness”:”image-light”,”display_logo_lockup”:false,”svg_logo_data”:”<svg id=\"Layer_1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 242 121\"><path fill=\"#444745\" d=\"M110.674 3.528h3.474L114.564 2H71.63l-.418 1.528h6.253c5.418 0 9.726 3.75 9.726 11.255 0 4.168-1.8 9.587-4.72 16.118L54.82 92.32l-6.81-79.756c-.556-6.252 2.5-9.03 9.59-9.03h4.027L62.042 2H1.6l-.557 1.528h3.89c4.725 0 6.532 2.918 7.087 8.615l10.7 103.1h25.427l42.518-90.038c6.392-13.48 13.2-21.677 20.01-21.677zm-5.002 112.27c-3.89 0-6.253-1.25-6.253-7.642 0-8.06 2.91-23.76 6.11-38.072.41 6.67 5 13.2 11.81 13.2 1.67 0 3.06-.138 4.44-.417-6.26 27.236-8.76 32.932-16.12 32.932zm121.024-54.19c8.06 0 13.2-6.67 13.2-14.173 0-6.392-4.585-11.116-11.115-11.116-11.81 0-17.36 9.31-27.09 26.53-2.08-10.7-6.94-24.73-19.45-24.73-14.03 0-30.15 20.01-45.02 32.37-6.67 5.56-14.17 9.17-20.15 9.17-6.11 0-9.72-6.26-9.72-17.23 4.31-17.93 6.67-22.65 13.34-22.65 4.59 0 6.53 2.64 6.53 8.06 0 5.69-1.25 15.42-3.75 27.51 6.67-2.09 16.68-10.42 25.01-19.45-4.44-10.56-13.89-17.79-27.65-17.79-25.42 0-47.66 22.78-47.66 48.35 0 17.65 12.51 30.984 32.1 30.984 32.38 0 45.86-28.066 45.86-47.52 0-2.78-.14-4.86-.42-7.364C155.717 57.14 162.108 52 167.388 52c5.975 0 10.7 15.007 15.423 37.657-4.17 4.58-8.34 13.474-10.42 15.002-.836-8.06-6.115-13.06-13.2-13.06-7.92 0-13.48 7.5-13.48 13.893 0 7.226 5 11.95 11.53 11.95 13.76 0 17.65-13.062 26.265-24.595 2.64 12.363 8.754 24.59 19.313 24.59 12.506 0 24.178-10.7 30.15-18.34l-1.11-1.81c-3.89 3.753-7.642 6.254-11.95 6.254-7.78 0-13.34-16.81-17.645-37.1 2.5-3.47 6.53-12.225 9.31-15.28 1.95 3.612 5.978 10.42 15.15 10.42z\"\/><\/svg>“}”><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label tabindex=\"0\" role=\"radio\" aria-checked=\"true\"><\/p>\n<p>\n <span>$95<\/span><span>\/year<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<p> <\/label><\/p>\n<p> <label tabindex=\"0\" role=\"radio\" aria-checked=\"true\"><\/p>\n<p>\n <span>$120<\/span><span>\/year<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<p> <\/label><\/p>\n<p> <label tabindex=\"0\" role=\"radio\" aria-checked=\"true\"><\/p>\n<p>\n <span>$250<\/span><span>\/year<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<p> <\/label><\/p>\n<p> <label tabindex=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p> <span>Other<\/span><br \/>\n <\/label>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/vox.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=\" id=\"contribute--submit\"><\/p>\n<p>\n Yes, I’ll give $120<span>\/year<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<p> <\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n Yes, I’ll give $120<span>\/year<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n <span><br \/>\n We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and<br \/>\n <\/span><br \/>\n <span><br \/>\n Google Pay. You can also contribute via<br \/>\n <\/span>\n <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=VSP4PYJX98SHL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/22734206\/paypal_logo.png\"><br \/>\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/the-goods\/23529587\/consumer-goods-quality-fast-fashion-technology\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Tama Pingree<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My beloved 10-year-old black bra finally broke last Christmas. The elastic had some slack and it\u2019d been fraying for a while, but its death sentence came when the underwire popped out the side. While it wasn\u2019t particularly special \u2014 just a normal T-shirt bra \u2014 it was comfortable and had clearly lasted a long time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":594189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3281,24949,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-594188","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-actually","8":"category-stuff","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}