There is much to be said for local produce. While global economies of scale can have a downward effect on price they must also have an effect on the user; in less than a generation western culture has become dependant on foreign manufactured imports - how has this impacted on the way people interact with products and the way we attach value to objects?
From a purely economical view it would appear that we now value design and materials far less than we did 10 or 15 years ago - take the mobile phone - extravagant and expensive at its inception but now a staple product for people all over the world. The reason for this ? competition in the market place which led to downward pressure on cost, thus making these previously luxurious status symbols an integral part of millions of peoples lives - both poor and privileged.
But the effect of being able to walk into a shop and pick one up off the shelf for a relative pittance (relative to both their original cost and to alternatives on the market today) is that we can often think of these cultural and technological phenomenons as disposable - should we be?
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