The generation of our grandparents still did it: it was once customary to maintain and repair something. Cross your heart – when was the last time you repaired something?

Today, defective objects are usually thrown away – why? Are we too lazy? Or are the devices so good – they never break? No – they are not better – but they are more complex. Why is it different from before? Today, vehicles, machines or household appliances communicate and react to each other!

Smart TVs, heaters and kitchen appliances: Welcome to the age of the IOT!

Internet of things: On average, a German household owns 10 smart devices, i.e. devices connected to the Internet – and the trend is rising. Basically, it’s a comfortable world when your fridge connects to the Internet and tells your supermarket that you need butter again.

But there’s a drawback: nowadays, objects are equipped with complex technology for this purpose. After all, such a refrigerator must first recognize what is in it and then be able to report its requirements to the supermarket via the Internet. This requires sensor technology, interfaces and much more. If any of this breaks, the toolbox from the cellar is usually not enough – you need special tools! Not only that – you need expert knowledge for the repair.

In-depth knowledge for a repair

It seems mercilessly complicated! In the past, I used to change the V-belt on my old Opel Kadett City myself. Today a car is like a complicated calculating machine that can be understood and repaired only with special tools. It isn’t only with cars. There is hardly anything that can be repaired by oneself without the appropriate in-depth knowledge. What is the consequence of this?

Dependence!

We are no longer masters of our commodities. They make us dependent on Google, Smartphone and so on – in addition to our dependence on them. Namely from external service providers who are able to repair our equipment. However, there are always experts who cannot carry out a repair as reliably as we would like.

Instead of repairing, we take a service or buy the device new. Our devices often come from the production facilities of low-wage countries. With every purchase we support the exploitation of the workers there and a further pollution of our planet. Many people no longer want to be part of this system and a counter-movement seems to have been forming for some time.

It is precisely these technical achievements that give them the opportunity to do so. Through the Internet they can connect to repair and exchange exchanges.

The answer to IOT: DIY?

Do it yourself, swap, share & repair: – People start growing vegetables again, darning socks, reupholstering sofas and unscrewing their vacuum cleaners. There are whole repair, exchange and sustainability clubs.

In the future, we could share complex technical achievements with others – such as the self-propelled electric cars of the city of tomorrow? After all, do we all still need our own car? No!

But your own coffee maker! But- do we really need a coffee machine that is connected to the Internet and reorders beans? Our purchasing power and our actions determine how we move forward.