Americans are holding onto devices longer than ever before, and while it may be consumer smart, it comes at a cost to work productivity and the U.S. economy.

The average American now holds onto their smartphone for 29 months, according to a recent survey by Reviews.org, and that cycle is getting longer. The average was around 22 months in 2016.

While squeezing as much life out of your device as possible may save money in the short run, especially amid widespread fears about the strength of the consumer and job market, it might cost the economy in the long run, especially when device hoarding occurs at the level of corporations.

  • Deyis@beehaw.org
    11·
    4 days ago

    Think about how many additional phones you could buy each year if you cancelled your Netflix subscription and didn’t eat as much avocado on toast.

    • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
      2·
      3 days ago

      from my experience, netflix is one of the few companies who actually produce hot new shows somewhat regularly. it’s weird to me how everybody keeps shitting on them.

      • Deyis@beehaw.org
        2·
        3 days ago

        Personally, I cancelled Netflix due to a drought of content I actually wanted to watch and things disappearing from it with no notice. This combined with releasing shows weekly or one ‘part’ now and another in a month (so I have to stay subscribed) made it so it couldn’t compete with piracy anymore.