Planned Obsolescence

Have you ever heard of the term “planned obsolescence”? Planned obsolescence is the process of a product becoming obsolete and/or nonfunctional after a predetermined period of time or use. The manufacturer plans or designs this. In other words, all of the things you buy have a predetermined time they will break or go out of style. In fact, fashion and design are set up the same way. You ever notice how companies constantly keep coming out with cooler, newer iPods, computers, and clothing? They do this so if you don’t have the newest version of something, you are seen as less cool. The system really is set up to make it next to impossible to stay on top of the latest trends and fashions.

This is a very interesting topic but will go beyond the scope of this blog. If you really want to learn more, I recommend you go to www.yourstartingpointonline.com and watch the video “The Story of Stuff” to get the full story on why trying to keep up with the Joneses is foolish at best, and how your stuff is created to make you constantly want to buy new stuff.

Arel Moodie is widely known as America's Top Young Speaker. He has spoken to over 65,000 students in 39 states and 2 countries on the topics of student success, student leadership and student entrepreneurship. He is a leading authority on helping students of this generation succeed in school and in life. He is also the best selling author of the book Your Starting Point For Student Success. To find out more about Arel's book, go to www.startingpointbook.com. To find out more about Arel's speaking please go to www.arelmoodie.com.