People do not naturally "want" a microwave with a 5-level deep menu. This "want" is carefully engineered through decades of advertising, marketing, and cultural narrative that equates "new" with "better," "connected" with "smart," and "touchscreen" with "premium." The desire is not organic; it is cultivated. Companies spend billions not just responding to demand, but actively creating it.
People often buy these products due to social pressure, the fear of being left behind, or the promise of convenience sold to them. The choice is rarely between a simple knob and a complex touchscreen; it's increasingly between a complex touchscreen and nothing, as the former replaces the latter in the market. This is not consumer sovereignty; it's a forced march.
The relationship between a massive multinational corporation and an individual consumer is not an equal negotiation. The corporation has vastly more information, resources, and power to shape the terms of the transaction. They design products for their benefit (planned obsolescence, data harvesting, proprietary lock-in), not for the user's benefit (longevity, repairability, intuitive use).