We should not wait on technology that is not yet fully developed to maybe save us in the future. Tech is already there for us; now we need to be there for it.
Climate Tech
We are experiencing more extreme weather events all over the planet. We might look to technological innovation to get us out of the climate corner we have industrialised ourselves into. Speculative technology such as carbon capture, electric aviation and geoengineering are dropped into the public conversation as things that will definitely solve all our problems in the not-too-distant future. Without us having to do anything now.
Societal expectations that are based on gendered roles start early. Clothes for toddlers come mainly in pink for a girl and astronaut for a boy. Books for girls might focus on long-haired princesses waiting in a tower to be rescued, while books for boys tend to have main characters like chocolate technicians flying off in elevators. Thousands of ‘little things’ are scaffolded into systemic barriers that diminish the likelihood of any random human being who happened to be born a woman from becoming an (electrical) engineer.
Maybe you’ve seen the ads online for a new smartphone that will last you 10 years. Maybe you too clicked on one, only to be disappointed that this phone does not exist … yet. The “10-year phone” is an initiative that has been trying to get your attention, and the EU’s legislative attention, by tempting us with a future in which it becomes the norm for a smartphone to last a decade. In order for this to actually work, there would have to be legislation on repairability, continued software support and availability of parts — especially the battery. Information should be readily available on how to repair your phone yourself along with an official repairability score.
Timing
Somewhere along the journey of increasingly amazing mobile phones, we appear to have accepted that these expensive lifelines are only going to last two to four years (in full working order). I guess we don’t often stop to consider how much time we actually expect from our devices. How long should your 4K flat screen last? What about your washing machine, your wake-up light, or your reflow oven? Giving you two to four years doesn’t seem so bad for most devices as you will probably want something new in this timeframe anyway. Which is a strange notion. Where did this drive to continuously upgrade come from and isn’t it time we got ourselves rid of it? In light of our planet drowning in our stuff, the resources and suffering involved in making many of our devices and our own appreciation of what we have. How about we adjust our devices and our mental models to last longer?
New Reflex
My smartphone is now around five years old, and I desperately need to have the battery replaced. It drops from 42% to dead in an instant. I found myself browsing for a new phone until I realised that I am still very happy with my phone beyond the suicidal battery. I am not alone in this new reflex; only 11% of people in the EU will repair their phone when it fails them. Would I also immediately browse for a new washing machine if it suddenly refused to spin cycle? I don’t think so. I think my reflex would be to google the problem to see if maybe the internet knows that this happens all the time and I should just unclog the something-nozzle. Maintaining and repairing it myself. Should that fail, I would probably get a repair professional IF the washing machine is not older than 10 years.
Washing machines and smart phones are in the same price range. But we don’t expect our phones to last a decade. It’s time that we smarten up.
Technology that counts the steps you take, measures your heartbeat, or beeps when you’ve sat down for too long. Is this supportive technology really helping us?
Feedback
Health-trackers like the Fitbit, Garmin fitness watch, Oura ring, and certain features on your Apple watch are supportive technologies meant to help you become a healthier version of you. In eHealth, such devices are often aimed at (future) patients of cardiovascular disease or diabetes type 2. Also known as “lifestyle diseases,” they are greatly influenced by our own behaviour. The support of the technology is based on measuring something and providing these metrics as feedback that we did not have before. It gives us insight into our own behaviour. We can see where we started, where we are now, and how close we are to a goal that we ourselves have set. These are three essential points of feedback we need to experience a sense of progress. Through technology we are better supporting ourselves.
A Fairphone is a smartphone that is fair to all the workers involved, to the people who use it, and to the planet that it is made on. They have just released the fourth incarnation of their smartphone (globally available except in the USA). Fairphone has always been very willing to share their journey of trying to achieve a fairer phone. “We believe that transparently sharing our insights with the public and wider industry is vital. We publish what we discover, share the choices we make, and raise awareness of alternatives,” says Ioiana Luncheon of Fairphone. You can browse many resources on their website and really dive into their complete supply chain. Their “Fair Materials” series is a good place to start.
The European Green Deal is the European Union’s (EU) manifest to become a climate neutral continent in 2050 and to produce 55% less greenhouse gases in 2030 (compared to 1990) as a midway marker. This goal has been written into a European Climate Law, which has been formally agreed upon and is currently waiting on a few final steps to become a legal reality.
