Why everything seems worse now: How products lost their value.

Why everything seems to no longer be worth the money

For much of modern history, when you bought a product, you owned it. You paid a price, took it home, and used it for as long as it lasted. Today, however, consumers around the world feel that the value of goods and services has sharply declined.

Subscriptions, deceptive marketing, declining product quality, and planned obsolescence have made many wonder why everything seems to cost more while offering less. What was once a simple transaction has turned into a continuous battle between corporations seeking profit and customers trying to get their money’s worth.

This feeling of decline is not simply nostalgia. Historically, products were built to last. In the 1950s and 1960s, many appliances came with warranties that stretched across decades, and families would pass down furniture, clothing, and even household electronics across generations.

Today, the opposite is true: manufacturers often design items with a short lifespan, ensuring that replacement becomes inevitable. At the same time, industries have introduced recurring payment models where one-time purchases used to suffice.

Why everything seems to no longer be worth the money 5

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The rise of surveillance and targeted advertising

Perhaps the most unsettling sign of diminishing value is the way technology increasingly uses personal data to manipulate consumers. Companies once advertised broadly, but now they target individuals with surgical precision.

Allegations have surfaced of platforms like Facebook monitoring the behaviour of teenage girls, detecting when they deleted selfies and then targeting them with beauty ads. The logic is sinister: if someone felt insecure enough to remove a photo, the platform could push products to capitalise on that insecurity.

Smartphones and home devices have amplified this trend. Conversations are picked up by microphones and within hours, ads appear related to what was spoken aloud. What feels like coincidence is actually the result of vast data networks harvesting information from daily interactions.

The cost of owning modern devices increasingly includes surrendering privacy. In earlier decades, the only surveillance customers worried about came from governments. Today, private corporations have taken over that role, and their main objective is not security but profit.

The decline of clothing quality

Another everyday frustration is the declining quality of clothing. Shoppers searching for a warm wool coat in the past could expect to find genuine wool garments at reasonable prices. Now, a coat advertised for nearly US$300 may turn out to be made entirely of polyester. This practice is not an accident but a deliberate strategy to maximise margins. By using cheaper synthetic fabrics, fashion companies can scale production while charging premium prices.

The problem is compounded by deceptive naming conventions. Garments labelled as “silk” or “genuine leather” often turn out to be polyester or the lowest grade of processed hide. Historically, consumers understood “genuine leather” to mean authentic, high-quality material. In reality, it is an industry term for one of the cheapest forms of leather. This type of labelling exploits consumer assumptions, making people believe they are buying premium goods when they are not.

Adding to the confusion is vanity sizing. Jeans and dresses no longer follow consistent measurements, with brands altering their numbers to make shoppers feel smaller than they are. What was once a reliable sizing system has become a guessing game. While this tactic may increase short-term sales, it erodes trust and makes shopping far more difficult than it was in the past.

Technology that no one asked for

The push to insert technology into every object has created absurd consequences. Traditional locks that worked with a simple key have been replaced with digital locks requiring batteries or even USB-C charging.

Stories abound of people locked out of homes or holiday rentals because their “smart” lock ran out of power. The situation borders on parody: consumers now worry about charging door handles alongside their phones and laptops.

Refrigerators, once expected to last decades, are now being fitted with advertising screens. Samsung has confirmed that its premium smart fridges, which cost between US$1,800 and US$3,600, will begin showing ads on the front panels.

Buyers who thought they were investing in a luxury appliance suddenly find themselves paying to power a billboard in their own kitchen. Historically, appliances were valued for durability and functionality. Today, they serve as platforms for recurring revenue streams.

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Planned obsolescence and disposable goods

Planned obsolescence has existed for nearly a century, but in recent years it has become especially blatant. Companies release products with warranties that appear reassuring but quietly discontinue the production of spare parts. One example involves a Maytag washer purchased in 2017 with a 10-year parts warranty. Within seven years, key electronic components were no longer manufactured, rendering the warranty meaningless.

This practice dates back to the Phoebus cartel of the 1920s, when lightbulb manufacturers agreed to limit bulb lifespans to increase sales. The tradition continues today across smartphones, laptops, and appliances. As consumers, people are effectively forced to re-purchase items at ever-higher prices rather than repairing what they own.

The push toward AI and automation

Artificial intelligence is also reshaping value in troubling ways. Fast-food chains have begun outsourcing drive-through services to AI, but early attempts have been disastrous. Orders that should cost US$15 appear as US$15,000 on screens. Customers face frustration, while companies press forward with automation despite widespread resistance.

In the art world, museums have begun displaying AI-assisted paintings, raising fierce debate. Artists argue that their craft is being devalued by machine-generated works, while institutions present AI as innovation. This mirrors larger trends where human creativity and labour are replaced with automated systems that often fall short of delivering quality.

Subscription fatigue

Perhaps the most visible way consumers are losing value is through subscription models. Once upon a time, buying software or devices was a one-time cost. Today, everything from fitness rings to design programs demands monthly payments. A simple health tracker can cost hundreds upfront and still require a recurring fee to access basic features.

Reddit, once a free community platform, has discussed placing content behind paywalls. Streaming services that were initially marketed as affordable alternatives to cable have multiplied into dozens of platforms, each requiring separate subscriptions. The convenience of paying once has been eroded by a never-ending cycle of small charges that add up to a heavy financial burden.

Guerilla marketing and fake reviews

The online marketplace has become increasingly deceptive. On Reddit and other platforms, guerrilla marketing campaigns disguise advertising as organic recommendations. At the same time, Amazon reviews are flooded with fake five-star ratings from paid reviewers or automated bots. Customers looking for honest opinions struggle to find reliable information, leading many to rely on communities that themselves may be infiltrated by subtle ads.

Historically, word of mouth was the most trusted form of marketing. Friends, neighbours, or consumer reports offered genuine feedback. Now, the line between authentic recommendations and paid promotions has blurred beyond recognition. This erosion of trust contributes to the overall sense that money no longer buys quality or certainty.

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The app overload

Even basic shopping experiences are now tied to apps. Customers at pet stores, supermarkets, and clothing outlets are asked to download applications to access discounts or loyalty points. What used to be a simple exchange of cash or a phone number has transformed into a labyrinth of digital coupons, app notifications, and data harvesting. The problem is not limited to inconvenience; these apps exist to track consumer behaviour and monetise it further.

Where once companies competed to offer the best service, today they compete to extract the most data. Every store has its own app, each demanding account creation, logins, and personal information. Consumers find themselves managing dozens of unnecessary accounts, each one another reminder that shopping is less straightforward than it used to be.

Why it feels like everything is getting worse

The sense that everything is worse today is rooted in real economic and cultural shifts. Wages have stagnated in many countries, while the cost of living has risen dramatically. At the same time, products and services that once offered durability, simplicity, and transparency have been replaced with disposable, deceptive, and subscription-driven alternatives.

Historically, industrial and technological revolutions were associated with improvements in quality of life. The rise of mass production in the 19th century lowered costs, making goods accessible to more people. The digital revolution of the late 20th century promised similar benefits, yet today’s consumers often feel trapped in a system designed to maximise corporate profit rather than deliver lasting value.

The future of consumer trust

The belief that “everything is worse now” is not a baseless complaint. It reflects a shift from ownership to rental, from durability to disposability, and from trust to manipulation. While technology has brought unprecedented convenience, it has also created new forms of dependency. Consumers face a future where even refrigerators and door handles are monetised, where warranties mean little, and where every purchase is an opportunity for upselling or surveillance.

The challenge moving forward is to demand accountability and transparency from companies. Durable goods, honest marketing, and fair pricing once defined consumer culture, and they can again if enough people refuse to accept the status quo. Until then, the frustration that nothing seems worth the money anymore will only grow stronger.

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