"Fix It": 40 Times People Had No Clue How To "Fix It," But The Internet Had Their Back

Such wholesome communities aren't exclusive to the internet. Since a woman named Martine Postma established what is considered to be the first repair café in Amsterdam in 2009, the concept of free events at which volunteers with valuable skills assist participants with broken possessions has spread far and wide.

Over 50 cafés operate throughout the Netherlands, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

In the United States, people have reportedly begun convening regularly at coffee shops and event spaces in New York, Chicago, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Seattle, and other cities to fix busted items.

But tinkering has been becoming an increasingly harder challenge. Unlike the things made by older generations, it’s hard to get inside an iPod, and even when you do, you face a battery and computer chip rather than moveable components that can be adjusted and replaced.

Even the businesses that supply the repair industry have become increasingly scarce. For example, in an attempt to boost plunging profits, RadioShack switched from selling cables, connectors, and widgets for garage and basement hobbyists to selling smartphones and other wireless devices all the way back in 2009.

The societal shift toward products that are untouchable, robotic, and useless when single parts break down has given rise to a number of negative consequences, such as growing landfills.

Overall, the U.S. produces 268 million tons of trash annually. The average American throws away 4.5 pounds of trash per day, compared to 2.68 pounds in 1960, and most of it is comprised of recyclable items.

While we can't just slash the number in half in one go, the subreddit 'Fix It' is doing its part.