It is what it is until it isn’t (Or: The Evolution of The Eclectric Toothbrush)
3 min read
With the Eclectric Toothbrush 2000, getting healthy gums, short-term happiness, and social validation has never been easier!
What is an electric toothbrush? If you ask me, I’d say it’s a battery-powered stick with bristles designed to mechanically remove plaque. If you’d time-travel and ask someone in the '60s, they’d likely agree, considering its basic form has remained virtually unchanged since its invention in 1954.
Since then, feature after feature has been added. In the early 2000s, they’d developed an indicator to signal when it was time for a brush head replacement, a pressure sensor to warn against excessive force, and a timer to guide you through each mouth quadrant. So far, they all made sense.
Somewhere around the introduction of brushing modes — whether you wanted a gum massage or perhaps a whitening effect — and brushing rewards in the form of smiling displays is where I believe things went too far. But further it went.
As phones got smarter, everything else seemed dumber — even electric toothbrushes, apparently. That’s nothing a more personalized brushing routine couldn’t fix though, and soon, Bluetooth allowed for real-time feedback on your brushing habits, making it even easier to meet your #oralhealthgoals.
Sure, the '60s versions could remove plaque and all, but with today’s sleeker, lighter, and more powerful eclectric toothbrushes, you can earn virtual medals for simply maintaining your oral health. If that isn’t peak humanity, I don’t know what is.
Speaking of peak humanity…
The act of replacing a product based on the belief that it's outdated is known as perceived obsolescence – and it’s a phenomenon that’s become an integral part of modern society. Due to our constant push for innovation and growth, what were once considered valuable investments are now seen as temporary conveniences.
Smartphones are among the most affected by perceived obsolescence, where many feel compelled to upgrade even with a fully functional device in their pocket. But it doesn’t stop there. Its impact extends to items like vacuum cleaners, strollers, winter coats, and yes, electric toothbrushes, too.
On one hand, companies are pressured to outdo themselves with every new product due to market competition, consumer expectations, and the pursuit of increased profits. This pushes them to innovate and, in the process, subtly (or not so subtly) encourages consumers to question the adequacy of what they already own through elaborate marketing strategies.
On the other hand, consumers, influenced by these marketing strategies and their desire for social validation – where having the latest and greatest is a symbol of personal success – continually seek out new products, thereby validating the companies’ constant innovation.
The outcome of this vicious cycle amplifies our long-established culture of disposability, and somewhere where you don’t see it, it generates literal mountains of waste every year.
When we want virtual medals, we get virtual medals, and the cycle persists until we collectively choose to break it, or as I like to say — it is what it is until it isn’t.
CREATEIKA
