IKEA—great design or planned obsolescence?

When browsing through all the products, space savers, unique designs that IKEA stores showcase, one eventually discovers that most of the furniture and products do not carry the signature of enduring craftsmanship. The majority of the furniture is a quick solution for people without a lot of space, time, or money, or in other words, for most of Western humanity. The unsubstantial wooden slabs and wobbly table tops are a marketing ploy—the furniture is not supposed to last—and consumers are comfortable with this. The argument that IKEA’s popularity is due to answering consumers’ needs is a short sighted one. IKEA is not an answer; it is a fix. When consumers buy an IKEA product they are buying a fashion product—fleeting, temporal, trendy. Trends change faster and faster as the ‘need’ for consumers to spend accelerates. The problem with mass produced consumer goods is not that they are cheap or even practical, but when critically evaluated as answers to what consumers want, they are little more than quick fixes for expected growing consumer needs. The unsubstantial products age and break and the need for replacements emerge.IKEA is just one example of planned obsolescence. Look around and you'll find plenty of products that are designed for a short shelf life.Source:http://social-activism.suite101.com/article.cfm/ikea_and_consumption