CONTROL ROOM

TECHNOLOGY & ELECTRONIC WASTE

J201 Mass Media & SocietyDecember 4, 2013

WHAT ELECTRONICS ARE PURCHASED?(2011 NUMBERS, WORLDWIDE) 352 million computers 74 million tablets/e-readers 248 million TVs 1.59 billion cell phones

AVERAGE MONTHLY SPENDING ON CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, BY HOUSEHOLD TYPE

APPLE Apple sold 5 million iPhone 5s in 3 days

(Sept.’12) In last 3 months of 2011:

Apple sold 37 million iPhones and 15 million iPads

Revenue: $46 billion ($1 billion in profits)

• http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-04-21/tech/29988935_1_iphone-revenue-apple

“THE STORY OF STUFF”

Extraction ProductionDistribution

Consumption Disposal

storyofstuff.org

ISSUES TO THINK ABOUT:

Extraction: Where do the raw materials come from?

Production: Where are the electronics produced and in what conditions?

Source: Environment Canada

APPLE’S SUPPLIER CODE OF CONDUCT

“Full commitment to the principles and standards of the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is a condition of doing business with us. And while our code is based on strict international standards, it’s how

we enforce it that truly makes a difference to the people who are

involved in making our products in facilities around the world.”

http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/code-of-conduct/

“We’ve known about labor abuses in some factories for four years, and they’re still going on…Why? Because the system works for us. Suppliers would change everything tomorrow if Apple told them they didn’t have another choice.”

Anonymous former Apple executiveNY Times article, Jan. 25, 2012

VIDEO: NIGHTLINEIFACTORY: INSIDE APPLE

Questions: Objectivity? Real story? Willingness to talk?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqL2nS6GljY

CHAIN OF MANUFACTURING Distribution store workers (where do you

buy stuff?)

Marketing/advertising

Consumption consumer purchases (why?)

DISPOSAL: HOW MUCH E-WASTE?

In 2010, Americans threw away 2.4 million tons of e-waste

That’s 142,000 computers and over 416,000 mobile devices EVERY DAY in U.S.

Approx. 20-50 million tons of electrical and electronic goods are thrown away every year worldwide

WHERE DOES IT GO? EPA estimates only about 20% of electronic

waste is recycled in the US.

50-80% of e-waste collected for recycling in the US ends up in developing countries like China, Pakistan and India

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FRONTLINE VIDEO:“GHANA: DIGITAL DUMPING GROUND”

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/ghana804/video/video_index.html

ISSUES Health Economy Security Dominance over less developed countries

What is a media corporation’s responsibility?

What is a media user’s responsibility?

What are we gaining with new media technologies? What are we losing?

“Planned Obsolescence”

QUESTIONS?