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Course Sheet Academic Year of enrolment:
Disciplinary Sector:
SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION
Professor and Collaborators:
Hours of classroom activity:
Objectives
Contents Title of the course:
The risks of consumption: communication and planned obsolescence
The course highlights some peculiar aspects of the consumer society and outlines the way advertising and marketing may transform consumers into active constructors of social reality. Our daily life has been founded on frenzy consumerism of symbols, signs and objects. The “planned obsolescence” is an important feature of such a commercial fever, as Serge Latouche has pointed out through Jean Baudrillard’s sociological thoughts. The planned perishability of objects clashes with an ethic of lasting that ought to inspire a more attentive search of quality. The latter should concern both products and human relationships. This tendency can be observed inside and outside business venues, including medical and healthcare institutions. Namely, stakeholders’ expectations often collide with the communicative management of risky situations, thus engendering informative short-circuits.
Extended Syllabus According to business companies, the alleged “planned obsolescence” of products (especially the electronic ones) is a myth. As a matter of fact, it is quite difficult to demonstrate that technological devices are characterized by intentional defectiveness, as this would limit both duration and use of printers, mobiles, TVs, computers, diagnostic devices, etc. Such defectiveness would enable a compulsive turnover involving consumers and companies to fuel. Nevertheless, the phenomenon of “planned obsolescence” would feed an unlimited growth, as Latouche underlines in Bon pour la casse (2015). Thanks to his work, some significant ventures have been promoted to ban and dissuade the sale of technological products allegedly undermined by hidden expiration. Planned expiration would involve the life of objects and daily relationships, especially the digital ones, which reciprocally may feed well-elaborated marketing strategies and business advertising. This is why the analysis of this phenomenon would be so important. Its complexity would trigger hyper-consumption and wastefulness economy, involving the productive spheres and healthcare environments.
Recommended Bibliography S. Latouche, Bon pour la casse. Les déraisons de l’obsolescence programmée, Les liens qui libérent, Paris 2015 (seconde édition).
Teaching Methods The class will be taught with the help of didactic supports and research material (both paper and digital).
Evaluation methods Verification of learning:
Oral exam, evaluated in thirtieths, which aims at verifying the ability to clearly and autonomously outline the topics of the course.
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