Recent decades have revealed many changes in people’s attitudes. One such seemingly ubiquitous transformation is how people deal with their material possessions. A couple of generations ago, people would maintain their belongings for as long as they could, taking care of the necessary repairs as they go. Today’s generation, in contrast, does not think twice before replacing items that are even slightly damaged. This essay will delve into this phenomenon, elucidating the core causes underlying this change and offering a view on how today’s society is influenced by the same.
There is an array of reasons behind this shift in attitude. Firstly, fashion and technology are rapidly changing in today’s age, which makes people perceive things as ‘out of date’, even if they are just a few months old. Secondly, social media has created a platform for everyone to proudly showcase, and quite often flaunt, their latest furniture, gadgets, and other personal and domestic items. This puts constant pressure on everyone to keep upgrading their things. Also, in this era of mass production, it is much more convenient, if not economically, to buy a new item than to get an old item repaired. As a result, it is quite easy for anyone to fall into the habit of replacing without repairing.
The effects of this phenomenon are widespread. The foremost is the impact on the economy. As more and more things are bought, the change is fuelling the manufacturing sector at a much faster rate than previously seen. The economic downside, however, is the decline in the cottage industries that catered to repairing works. Finding a repairing shop for electronic goods or a cobbler for mending damaged shoes is increasingly becoming challenging, especially in cities. Socially too, the wish for everyone to own something new is irresistible, which is resulting in a narcissistic attitude. While there is no positive or negative aspect of these changes, it is evident that the changes are myriad and vivid.
To conclude, it is difficult to address at this stage whether this will continue to affect us to what degree. However, it is certain that a number of reasons are contributing to people’s preference for replacing without repairing, and that the society is affected by the same on multiple fronts.
Recent decades have revealed
many
changes
in
people’s
attitudes. One such
seemingly
ubiquitous transformation is how
people
deal with their material possessions. A couple of generations ago,
people
would maintain their belongings for as long as they could, taking care of the necessary repairs as they go.
Today
’s generation,
in contrast
, does not
think
twice
before
replacing
items
that are even
slightly
damaged. This essay will delve into this phenomenon, elucidating the core causes underlying this
change
and offering a view on how
today
’s society
is influenced
by the same.
There is an array of reasons behind this shift in attitude.
Firstly
, fashion and technology are
rapidly
changing in
today
’s age, which
makes
people
perceive things as ‘out of date’, even if they are
just
a few months
old
.
Secondly
, social media has created a platform for everyone to
proudly
showcase, and quite
often
flaunt, their latest furniture, gadgets, and other personal and domestic
items
. This puts constant pressure on everyone to
keep
upgrading their things.
Also
, in this era of mass production, it is much more convenient, if not
economically
, to
buy
a new
item
than to
get
an
old
item
repaired.
As a result
, it is quite easy for anyone to fall into the habit of replacing without repairing.
The effects of this phenomenon are widespread. The foremost is the impact on the economy. As more and more things are
bought
, the
change
is fuelling the manufacturing sector at a much faster rate than previously
seen
. The economic downside,
however
, is the decline in the cottage industries that catered to repairing works. Finding a repairing shop for electronic
goods
or a cobbler for mending damaged shoes is
increasingly
becoming challenging,
especially
in cities.
Socially
too, the wish for everyone to
own
something new is irresistible, which is resulting in a narcissistic attitude. While there is no
positive
or
negative
aspect of these
changes
, it is evident that the
changes
are myriad and vivid.
To conclude
, it is difficult to address at this stage whether this will continue to affect us to what degree.
However
, it is certain that a number of reasons are contributing to
people’s
preference for replacing without repairing, and that the society is
affected
by the same on multiple fronts.