This dissertation begins with the recognition that gross overconsumption within the developed world has caused significant environmental degradation and social inequity. There is therefore a need to reduce the unsustainability of consumption in the developed world. Computers have become increasingly central to our society so much so that society and technology have become irrevocably connected. For society to become more sustainable, the manner in which technology is produced, used and disposed must become more sustainable. For these reasons the focus of this dissertation is directed towards the computing sector and the interactions between players in this market.
Two of the most important factors that have shaped the personal computing market are the modularisation and commoditisation of the personal computer (PC). In the 1980s, IBM developed a computing architecture that allowed modular components to be developed. Interface standards subsequently emerged that allowed processors, memory chips and hard disk drives from different manufacturers to fit into that architecture. Commoditisation then arose as a consequence of this modularisation. In this way the computer industry was responsive to consumer needs because a cheaper, more versatile product was created. However, it now appears that parts of the industry push new product offerings to the consumer market that creates profits for its shareholders without significant benefits to its customers. The worst culprits here are Intel and Microsoft who create technological lock-in and successfully market their new products in such a way as to stimulate consumer desire for their products. This is of concern to the sustainability forum because the desire for profit, most notably in the case of hardware designers and manufacturers, stems from the release of new modules that make existing ones obsolete, before any form of technical failure has occurred. There is nothing novel about this technical obsolescence as many products on the market today are manufaclured wilh one eye on the next product range. It is the rapid pace of such obsolescence that is worrying, along with the shortening of product life cycles. The apparent existence of this built-in obsolescence is central to this dissertation and an online questionnaire has been produced that seeks to explore its effect. The questionnaire also looks to discover what scope exists for improved environmental behaviour from computer users, in terms of purchasing behaviour, computer misuse and eventual disposal. These survey results are discussed in the presentation.
What emerges from this research is the understanding that the computing sector is driven by the ability of manufacturers to develop, produce and market new components to the consumer. This leads to the availability of personal computers whose technical performance grossly exceeds the functionality required by the average user. Marketing from these companies creates a perceived necessity within consumers to have an up to date PC which can run the latest software, despite the ability of their existing PC to satisfy their functional requirements. In this sense it becomes a question of how the consumer's desire for new and novel products might be met that becomes central to achieving more sustainable consumption.
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