6 Effects Of Technological Developments Flashcards
What is mass production?
Mass production is the large-scale, highly mechanised industrial production of products.
What has mass production resulted in?
It has resulted in the development of a ‘consumer society’ in which the majority of the population are eager to own an ever-expanding range of goods.
What changes did the Industrial Revolution bring to manufacturing?
- The industrial revolution in the late 18th and early 19th century, and particularly James Watt’s development of the first practical steam engine in the 1760s, brought about massive changes in manufacturing.
- Machinery and industrialisation meant that affordable products could be produced on a large scale.
-Towns and cities developed along with transport infrastructure and the growth of the design and manufacturing sector.
What was the division of Labour and who pioneered it?
• In mass production, ‘division of labour’, where workers carry out a single process in turn, is used to set up a highly organised manufacturing system.
• Such a system facilitates manufacturing products in large (mass) quantities.
• Henry Ford pioneered this approach to drastically reduce car production times.
When and why did mass consumerism blossom?
• Mass-consumerism particularly blossomed in the 1930s, following Ford’s innovations and the public’s desire for stylish Art Deco products and the electrical goods that were becoming more available.
• Advertising, packaging, marketing and styling, such as ‘streamlining’ and other design trends, further
encouraged an increasingly affluent and aspirational public to buy ever more products.
• This has led to a 21st Century mass-consumer society where companies seek to satisfy everyone’s wants by
making available a wide array of often ‘throw-away’ products.
What concerns did mass consumerism bring to society?
- Concerns about this are starting to be taken more seriously, as its impact on the environment becomes
increasingly apparent.
• There has also been a growth in the teenage market, particularly since the rise of ‘teenage rebellion’ in the
1950s and 60s, and the massive array of fashion, electronic, leisure and transport products targeted towards them.
• Younger children are also targeted from a young age through products that satisfy, for example, their desire to: own merchandise associated with popular media, emulate aspects of the ‘grown up’ world and to be ‘cool’ by wearing the ‘right’ brands.
What were the effects of mass production on employment?
• The growth of mechanisation resulted in a reduction of the number of people that had previously been required to carry out tasks in a wide range of industries, such as weaving, pottery, glass bottle production and car manufacture.
• The manufacture of inexpensive consumer goods, by low skilled workers in newly mechanised industries, initially led to poor working conditions, low wages, industrial unrest and a polluted environment.
• Machines could replace skilled workers, and the development of technologies such as polymer moulding led to the demise of much traditional craft manufacture of products such as wooden toys and sheet metal kitchenware.
• Modern computer-based design and highly automated manufacture requires a small number of highly skilled technicians, with relatively low skilled operatives carrying out more mundane tasks.
What was Kaizen?
Lean production initiatives such as Kaizen, increasingly involved and motivated workers at all levels to improve quality of manufacturing.
What is Built in (Planned) obsolescence?
This is the design and manufacture of products requiring replacement on a regular basis.
• Manufacturers are sometimes accused of deliberately shortening the lifespan of their products to maximise profits.
What is an example of planned obsolescence?
• An example of this occurred in the early part of the twentieth century when a cartel of light bulb manufacturers deliberately manufactured light bulbs with a shortened life expectancy in order to maximise profits.
Define obsolescence
Obsolescence is often linked to technological and functional issues
What factors should consumers consider as either a cynical marketing strategy or signs of a genuine desire to move product development forward
- Unavailability of spare parts for older models.
- Software incompatibility, such as older computers and phones
being unable to run the latest operating systems. - Removal of smartphone headphone socket and older types of
connector to facilitate ‘sleeker’ designs. - The introduction of superior, desirable features such as multiple cameras on new smartphones. (The modular and upgradeable ‘Fairphone’ is an example of the search for a more customer- friendly and sustainable approach.)
What is postponement obsolescence?
Sometimes, manufacturers release versions of products that are not equipped with their ultimate capabilities, since they may be holding them back for future models.
What is design for maintenance?
Designing for maintenance means designing it in such a way that makes maintenance easy.
What are some examples of design for maintenance?
• batteries are able to be changed easily
• good access into the product to repair or replace worn out
components
• using ‘modules’ that can be repaired or replaced instead of repairing or replacing the whole product (for example in computers).
