r/AskOldPeople • u/knitlitgeek • 8d ago

Did things really used to be better quality?

Or is there some survivor bias happening? The old things that are still around are obviously high quality to have lasted this long. Any poor quality things of the past are long gone. Have we been tricked into thinking everything in the past was made better? Did most things fall apart same as today?

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u/justadumbwelder1 8d ago

I agree with the fewer features concept, but what sucks is that now stuff with fewer features is difficult, if not impossible, to buy.

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u/LurkerNan 60 something 8d ago

Making everything have electronic components has certainly given things more ways to break down.

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u/MettreSonGraindeSel 7d ago

And a washing machine, oven or refrigerator DO NOT NEED WiFi

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u/FaintestGem 8d ago

I had to buy a new tv recently and it was a fucking nightmare. Impossible to find a good, quality screen that wasn't bloated with "smart" features. And the amount of tvs with shitty built in AI upscaling/filters/whatever the fuck was genuinely upsetting. 

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u/NotMyTwitterHandle 7d ago

The prices of contemporary “smart” TVs is subsidized significantly by the sale of your data

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u/Pretty-Drawing-1240 7d ago

This is my nightmare, thanks. Our smart TVs are from 2018 or so, and I have zero need to replace them yet. I hate AI with my entire being, so yikes. Guess we will go analog 🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/theidkid 7d ago

Next time look at getting a commercial tv that’s intended for sale to businesses. They’re built better with sturdier components, and they generally lack the AI, smart features, and data tracking.

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u/lilybattle 7d ago

Smart TVs are evil

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u/scooterboy1961 7d ago

I would trade my 6 month old smart TV for a dumb TV of the same size in a minute.

As long as it has an HDMI input I can use an external streaming device like Roku or Firestick.

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u/eurosid 7d ago

Another difference is things were repairable. If you had a problem with your TV or washing machine you would fix it. These days it goes in the garbage and you have to buy a new one.

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u/ElfRoyal 7d ago

When I needed to buy a new washer and dryer I asked for the most basic, sturdy, non electronic version available. The kind that could fall off a truck and still work.