Before
you destroy all your old technology, make sure it’s not valuable. An
Apple-1 motherboard fetched $387,750 at a Christie's auction. (Justin
Sullivan/Getty Images)
Is there a drawer or box filled with cables and power leads
that you’ve kept because, well, maybe — just maybe — you might need them one
day?
Do you have two or more mobile phones that haven’t been
switched on for at least six months?
Have you hung on to old computers because you worry about their data falling into the wrong hands?
Are there more than three electronic devices you’ve kept that don’t work, but you intend to repair one day?
If you answered yes to these questions you may be a gadget hoarder. And you’re definitely not alone.
Software
engineer George Gonzalez from Minneapolis in the US is one of those
people. The 61-year-old admits to being a “heavy hoarder”.
“During
one vacation trip we rented a large RV. By the time we got home, the
kids had to sleep on top of all the console radios we had bought along
the way,” he said. Gonzalez’s garden shed is also full of radios and old
computer test equipment that he says he will “someday get around to
fixing up.” Don’t even ask about the garage—it’s home to old radios and
other electronics.
“We have trouble opening the car doors in the garage,” Gonzalez admitted.
His
behaviour is far from extreme, but it is part of a trend that last year
led to the American Psychiatric Association defining hoarding as a
mental disorder for the first time. Sufferers from the disorder are
unable to discard large quantities of items that most of us would find
useless to the point where it seriously affects their home life and
might even be physically dangerous. Research into its technological
manifestation is only just beginning.
“I would say there would be a
red flag if a person’s family or housemates had made multiple
complaints about the way somebody’s electronics were encroaching on
their living space, or if they’ve lost track or can’t remember what they
own,” said San Francisco-based clinical psychologist Dr Christina
Villareal.
For most people, hoarding gadgets falls short of
full-fledged intervention. But, perhaps that forgetfulness partly
explains why there are 345 million mobile subscriptions for a US
population of just 316 million. Worldwide, production of gadgets just
keeps growing. Technology analysis firm Gartner estimates that, last
year, 1.8 billion mobile phones were shipped, along with 500 million
computers, including tablets, desktops and laptops.
Do we need so many gadgets? (iStock)
But, in as little as two years, hundreds of millions of those
devices could be unloved clutter. A recent survey by used gadget buyer
uSell, suggested 68% of Americans admit to having at least one gadget
they haven’t used for at least two years and 25% say they have a
hoarding problem.
Last year mobile security company Lookout said
62% of Americans had at least one unused mobile phone and 11% had four
or more. The Australian mobile-phone industry recycling body,
MobileMuster, says only 9% of the population recycles handsets leaving
23 million unwanted mobile phones cluttering homes. In the UK, power
company E.on estimates 77% of adults are storing unwanted electrical
devices and 43% leave some of those items plugged in.
Data, data, delete?
So
why do people hang on to their old gadgets, aside from forgetfulness?
The most common reasons are they don’t know how to dispose of them,
they’re collectors like Gonzalez or they worry about their data being
stolen.
For the worried, there are precautions you can take to prevent the wrong people getting hold of your data.
Mobile
phones are relatively easy to make safe. Remove the SIM card and
perform a “factory reset.” You’ll find instructions in your phone’s
manual or by searching for the model online. For added security with
Android phones search for apps on the Google Play store that can carry
out a “data wipe.”
Making data on a computer hard drive impossible
to recover is a little more difficult. First you should use a “wipe”
program which will reformat the drive, then rewrite it with a random
pattern of data, possibly repeating the process several times for added
safety.
That should defeat all but the best-equipped and most
determined criminals. But if you want to have a level of security to
match the military and financial institutions, you can physically
destroy the drives by drilling holes through the platters
But, before you destroy all your old technology, make sure it’s not
valuable. Mint examples of the first iPhone from 2007 are being offered
on eBay for $15,000. Last year an Apple-1 computer from 1976 sold at
auction in Germany for a reported €500,000 ($681,680). One at Christie’s
fetched $387,750 and, just last month a buyer paid $87,500 for just the
motherboard from an Apple-1.
“There are some select items of
technology that revolutionised the modern world and are hugely sought
after by collectors. Who would have predicted that in 1976 the $666
personal computer would be worth holding on to for four decades?,” said
James Hyslop, head of science and natural history department at
Christie's London.
Generally, people want to buy the latest
technology. Holding on to gadgets means losing money. The difference can
be dramatic, as British video director Robert Shepherd discovered after
he bought a Nokia 8110 as featured famously in The Matrix.
“Shortly
after I got it, I went to Toronto where a tech store manager offered me
$3,000 cash there and then for it, as they weren't available in Canada.
And I turned him down!” said Shepherd.
He still has the 8110, but it's worth about £35 ($60) on eBay.
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