Final Paper blog 1

When deciding what topic to attack for my final paper, I thought back to this semester's readings to decide which I found to be the most interesting.  My answer was Slade's Made To Break.  I found this book extremely interesting due to all of the information I found in it about how companies try to develop products that cause users to get new ones after a certain period of time.

Slade explains that through all forms of technology there is always something new and exciting on the horizon.  An example of this can be the Apple Ipad.  The current model has no camera on it, and I am willing to bet that with new applications such as Facetime the camera on both sides of the Ipad is on the way.  Ultimately Apple did not release the "best" version of the Ipad yet because it is a way of getting some people to buy it now, and others to buy it later when a "newer, better" version comes out.  These tendencies can be seen across the global economy as nearly all companies try to maximize their profits through the techniques Slade discusses.

For my paper I will examine Slade's proposal and compare it to the new green movement.  Will companies who say "they're going green with long battery life" also reduce the e-waste that they produce by releasing new products?  It is a fact of life that often American's just throw something out when it becomes obsolete.  The computers of yester-year are already flooding our dumps and so is all of the other technological waste that has been created.

Upon first glance I would say no.  These companies will likely not change their ways.  It is not that they don't care about the environment, in fact, I'm sure they do.  However it is obvious to me that their profit margins are their highest concern.  "Going green" means nothing for a company if they can't use it to their advantage.  Companies love to give the illusion that they're doing everything they can for the environment by saying their reducing their carbon footprint and other things.  However if it really came down to the decision of money vs the planet, I think major corporations such as Sony and Apple would chose money.

This is the first thought I am putting into the paper and I'm pretty sure that this will become my thesis:  That companies will not change due to the new green movement because they care about their profit too much.