I hadn't heard about device hoarding as a thing until Max Leibman posted about it and then drew a connection between device hoarding and quiet quitting. So let's do a bit of work.
What is Device Hoarding
The only original reporting I could find after an hour of searching was this CNBC article. It mentions three types of device hoarding. First is using an older device for your personal needs, this is the weakest argument and the one pissing people off. Second is a company keeping devices around past their useful life. Third is that old device in the drawer that doesn't work at all.
The article introduces us to a 67 year-old retiree that keeps an old device because they like it, but then draws a parallel between their lack of a new better phone and productivity. This seems to be an attempt to say that in their retirement the device affects quality of life because it limits how much they can do quickly. As if retirement is more about doing things quickly instead of enjoying the life you've got by experiencing it.
The second thread going through the piece is around companies hoarding their devices which leaves employees with poor quality work devices. These outdated devices are slow and thus cost the employees time and the company money. It uses this study from the Federal Reserve to draw the connection between lost productivity at work and old devices.
Then outside this article I found many references to the practice of keeping an old device in a drawer that is no longer functional. Here articles highlighted the rare minerals locked up in devices that aren't being recycled. Add to the lost rare minerals the fact that random lithium-ion batteries in a drawer do increase the chance of a fire, which would be a bad thing.
Personal "device hoarding"
Most people got their knickers in a knot when they hear that they need to purchase a new personal device to keep money flowing around in the economy, or to "be productive". Of course companies would advise you purchase a new device that they sell because they want more revenue. Heck if companies could have their way, you'd never own the device and you'd pay them monthly all the time to maintain access to your phone.
But it isn't our job to keep companies solvent. It's not our job to buy the latest and greatest newly released device just because some company thinks they have added a few features that customers might find useful.
Is my iPhone 13 Mini slower than a new iPhone. Yes it is, and the battery is worse. But I sit at my desk most of the day where my phone can be charged. Then I get in the car and drive my kids around, where my phone can stay charged. It seems to last fine when it's in my pocket during a bike ride.
My old slow, battery-starved device isn't holding me back from enjoying my life because it's old. In fact a less capable device that didn't provide the option to get on the internet would likely be an even better option if I'm looking for maximizing life enjoyment. Then I wouldn't get randomly distracted by stupid internet stuff when I should read a book or hang out with my kids.
Reduced capability is a feature not a flaw.
Business "device hoarding"
Here I think there is a point to be made, because of my experience with a company that hoarded old devices for employee use. At that point one of my jobs was to take product photos and add products to our website. I had a nice camera, but the computer I had to use for the activity was terrible.
I can't remember the specs now, but I do remember shrinking the photos down to a workable size and saving them for web in Photoshop took almost 5 minutes. I even put together a Photoshop automation so that I could walk away and the work would be done while I was doing something else.
Once I took a photo home to test on my $600 box store special computer and the same action was done in a few seconds. The company I worked for wasted many minutes of my day, for every photo, paying me to wait around for a computer, and then sometimes had the nerve to ask why it took so long to get new products on the site.
Device hoarding to this extent is bad for productivity. It wastes company money in the form of wages, and pisses staff off which increases turnover. There is a real cost to worker happiness and productivity when we use devices long past their useful life.
Real device hoarding
There is also a bone to pick with those, myself included, that hoard devices that are no longer functional. I currently have two iPads and an iPod that don't even turn on anymore, yet they sit on a shelf while I wonder what to do with them. They're devices that are only useful to the world because of the rare minerals that are inside them.
I need to try one last time to turn them on and wipe them so that I can take them to my local recycling centre and any value be extracted from their cold dead shells.
The connection with Quiet Quitting
Depending on the roads you travel, quiet quitting can be a pejorative term used to describe a slacker that is stealing from a company, or it can be seen as just doing your job. Showing up from 9-5 doing the work you're paid to do and not killing yourself with overtime and extra responsibilities for which you won't be paid.
Max draws the connection between device hoarding as a way to push money around the economy and the pejorative form of quiet quitting. That by not doing extra effort all the time, and spending money on devices we don't need, we're harming the economy.
I agree, this is a stupid way to look at either idea. Yet it is a way that many business owners view their employees and customers. That they have a right to all your time and all the money they can get from consumers. That it's a consumer problem if they can't afford to live, and they should just spend more money to be happy to purchase the next gadget.
A prime recent example comes from Satya Nadella saying we need to use more AI for useful stuff so that Microsoft can keep spending money and burning power. Without more use they'll lose the mandate to extract power from the world. This from a company that is pushing AI so hard down its user's throats that it's facing major backlash and has people looking at Linux.
We're not here to help big tech companies make money. So keep your devices and don't use their AI if it's not useful to you. Heck maybe got for a cheap flip phone and just drop out of the world of big tech device flipping entirely.