So a little while back @pluralistic discussed the #enshitification of the internet and it has me wanting to remind people that the pioneers of enshitification, from which techbro VCs got their inspiration, was undoubtedly the large home appliance oligopoly.
My parents had appliances thgat lasted 30+ years before replacement.
The appliances I got with my house in 1999 have all been replaced in the past 4 years (that is, they lasted about 20 years)
The average lifespan of such appliances made in the 2010's is apparently a scant 12 years.
But it's more than that...in my observation they are not only less durable, they objectively do an inferior job performing their actual purposes.
My new dishwasher looks spiffy and runs quiet but has a filter that needs cleaning 3 times as often and can't clean hot chocolate residue out of a mug.
My new fridge farts and also has some sort of disposable filter to replace.
My new clothes washer can connect to wifi but sometimes has a hard time rinsing.
...
@msh @pluralistic we've recently replaced a 7 year old fridge by Samsung because it just quietly stopped cooling the food so I so understand your frustration. But to put things in perspective, the new fridge cost $1000 for a double door (french door you call it I think?), well lit, with large and comfortable freezer. A regular-sized fridge in 1952 was around $330, so $3600 in today's money. So in essence we're comparing bargain priced stuff of today with premium stuff of yesteryear and complain it's not the same build quality.
@iinavpov @pies there is definitely a false economy going on when you are buying a $1000 fridge every 10 years or less when the (inflation adjusted) $3000 one lasted 40 or more years.
If only it were just as easy as going high end. Not everyone has the funds to buy a well made appliance. Also the $3000 consumer fridges of today have their own problems...they are often too large to fit in more modestly sized homes, are full of craptacular gimmicky tech or have features that a modest home might not be equipped for such as an ice maker.
If you have the scratch commercial units are the best option but honestly that is too much to ask from consumers. Now more than ever before it is "expensive to be poor".
@msh @iinavpov But we really don't know how long the old fridge lasted. Just because people talk about specific fridgest that lasted 40 years doesn't mean much, it's just survivor bias. And the 50's fridge was more like a today's $300-$400 model size-wise.
Yes, most people can't afford a $3000 fridge today. Most people couldn't afford it back then either. It was a luxury.
It should be noted that society has been regressing in this regard in the 21st century. At the same time as the lifetime of major appliances has gone down up to 40% in the past 25 years prices have INCREASED about 3 to 4% faster than inflation.
There is little to rejoice here and lots of room for improvement
@pies
This. For the same (updated) price, you'll get the same durability, and also vastly improved quality.
@msh @pluralistic