this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2025
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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.

Research released by the Federal Reserve last month concludes that each additional year companies delay upgrading equipment results in a productivity decline of about one-third of a percent, with investment patterns accounting for approximately 55% of productivity gaps between advanced economies. The good news: businesses in the U.S. are generally quicker to reinvest in replacing aging equipment. The Federal Reserve report shows that if European productivity had matched U.S. investment patterns starting in 2000, the productivity gap between the U.S and European economic heavyweights would have been reduced by 29 percent for the U.K., 35 percent for France, and 101% for Germany.

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[–] Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world 207 points 2 months ago (7 children)

Holy shit keeping a device longer than 2 years is "device hoarding" now? Thats fucking nuts.

How do you invest so much money in a device like that and not make it last? I've got one phone I use for work calls thats 10 years old. People are still shocked I dont even have a case on it.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 58 points 2 months ago

This is blaming consumers for companies not doing a better job at planned obsolescence.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 35 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My last phone up until a couple months ago was from 2017, apparently I am just a mega hoarder. Don't look at the pile of miscellaneous bits of tech, the Omnisiah demands I collect the shinnies.

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Honestly, if I could just upgrade the CPU and replace the battery every once in a while, is still be using a Note 3 or nexus 5. Those first few generations of notes were awesome.

[–] Zoot@reddthat.com 4 points 2 months ago

I still miss my Note 3 and Note 5. I'm using the Note 9 now, and even that is starting to become unbearably slow. Thankfully the battery is still good enough for me, but even Firefox constantly freezing is ridiculous

[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 23 points 2 months ago

When every single business is slowly getting to the point where they need you to be a consumer whore just to survive, yes.

[–] notsure@fedia.io 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

...hands up anyone using laptops or desktops older than 15 years?.. ...right here, bitches...lol...

[–] Blackfeathr@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

I got laptops from 2008 and 2013, still work just fine 😁

[–] Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Yup got that too. Flipped it to Bazzite, and setting up an old laptop on Mint now too.

[–] riskable@programming.dev 7 points 2 months ago

It's because economists haven't got the memo yet that informs them that smartphones have been recategorized as, "durable goods".

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Yeah, fuck that. I'll keep my device as long as possible because of course I would! Try for five years.

"Hording"... The fucking nerve to say that... I am actually offended. Whatever happened to "recycle, reduce, reuse"? What could possible be more irresponsible than constantly replacing your devices?

[–] who@feddit.org 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

When you have some free time, you might find it interesting to read about Edward Bernays.

[–] Screen_Shatter@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

I've always been aware of propaganda, but had never heard of him. Thanks for that. Was an interesting and somewhat horrifying read.

I do everything in my power to avoid ads and develop an informed opinion but there is no escaping the influence of at least some social manipulations. I suppose its easy for me to forget sometimes how much others are influenced by that too.