I received my current phone a few months before the start of college (about two years ago). Our old cellular provider, US Cellular, merged with Sprint, so my family and I had to set up a new service plan. I come from quite a large family, and we have six lines, so the deal we settled on was called it the “family plan.” The promise to keep families connected gave the plan a certain appeal, because it drew from the value of the family bond. The deal offered was financially appealing as well, and trading in our old phones would get us iPhones for close to nothing if we signed on for two years. Going in, I wanted to keep the phone I had, but the store did not really afford that desire, with the new phones on display. The iPhones made my well-earned Samsung Messager, my first touchscreen phone, seem ancient. We were told that they would be recycled, and the incentive of getting a new iPhone, and possibly helping the environment was enough to convince me that it was a good choice. Nonetheless, I never had the inclination to inquire about the recycling process, because I could not perceive the phone I purchased on my own as waste. To this day, it is the only device I ever actually disposed of. I still have my first laptop, despite the fact that I never use it.

My mind did not conceptualize my phone as waste, because I was never exposed to the reality of e-waste. As Parikka points out,

The devices are fabricated so that the consumer interpellated in marketing discourses, and attached to the machine at home or at work, is in a ‘protected mode’ (see Kittler, 1997), whereas the people compiling the machines– and dismantling them –are the ones who encounter the raw, dangerous materiality of our media technologies”(Parikka 2012).

We live in a society that shelters us from the reality that e-waste is an extremely relevant issue and poses a threat to other societies.

Two years have now passed since getting my iPhone 4S. Since then, five different versions of the iPhone have been released. I have always been content with my phone, enough that I stuck with it, because nothing has come out to actually replace its functionality with something better. As a college student, the luxury of keeping up with the advances in technology is not an option, and I am forced to maintain the mentality that “These devices are usually only ‘new’ for about six months, after which the monetary value of the machine drops significantly, although typically it still functions as intended” (LeBel 2012). In addition, the concept of newness is always questionable, and there is a degree of skepticism I hold with new products. As Sterne mentions,

“In a weird, recursive way, new media are ‘new’ primarily with reference to themselves. […] Today computers and other digital hardware displace their own counterparts more than anything else. ‘Newness’ in computers is defined with primary references to old computers” (Sterne 2007).

I have been able to recognize this concept, and it has withheld the desire to “upgrade.” Nonetheless, the temptation has been ever-present on a certain level.

The device, which fulfills all my personal needs, still is a source of insecurity, of vacancy. I cannot help but feel as if I am depriving myself of something that will surely make my life easier, despite the lack of evidence that the new features were even capable of doing so. In addition to the feeling of “missing out,” I also feel the urge to upgrade to a new iPhone. As someone who feels a particular attachment the device, it is strictly to the content, rather than the physical device. Nevertheless, the fear of losing any information is irrelevant when it comes to considering a new phone. With Apple, one of the affordances of their devices is the “restore” feature. An iPhone can be backed up, using iTunes on a computer, or digital iCloud storage, and the information can be transferred to another iOS device within minutes. “The digital hardware industry has rationalized, accelerated, and made regular the process of equipment turnover” (Sterne 2010). The device’s affordances are one of the ways the process has been accelerated. The technology results in a shift in the consumer’s relationship to the device. The ease consumers, like myself, to be less attached to the product itself; therefore, the process of switching carries no weight in the eyes of the consumer.

Notice, that I used the word “switching” in reference to upgrading an iPhone. The word choice, and absence of any concept of waste in its connotation, suggests that the idea of disposal is not one that comes to mind with technological devices. The issue is that “We are dealing with abstract relations, but concrete things– and all linked together as real parts of the global capitalist media industry”(Parikka 2012). I wonder now, when my contract ends in a month, whether or not I will be tempted to upgrade. I have no doubt, however, that I will hold the resulting location of my phone with high regard, because our environment simply cannot afford any more oblivion to the e-waste infiltrating it.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COM-02/580-05 Environmental Media. IIT (2014)
20 October 2014

There are other devices in my electronic collection that I use but do not have as much significance to me personally. I use two separate speaker systems, an Asus laptop, an iPod Nano third generation, a Canon Pixma printer, an Xbox 360, a Kindle Touch Glowlight, and a Sony digital camera. Apart from when I have to move these devices from school to home and vice versa, I appreciate every device that I own. There is no doubt in my mind that I would be able to function with just my cellphone and a portable computer but the other devices add a convenience factor to life that is hard to dispose of.

Most of the devices that I own have been purchased myself which makes them even more valuable to me. My parents have always instilled in me the idea that if I want something then I have to work for it. Even when I bought my first iPod in middle school I saved up money from working little league concession stands with my parents who were in charge of the concessions at all the baseball fields. This was the first electronic device that I had ever bought and I still take care of it as if I’d just purchased it.

I received my first cellphone in middle school solely because I had extracurricular activities and needed to call my mom to pick me up. No internet and no texting, just phone calls. When I wanted to upgrade to a smartphone in high school my mom said that if I spent more than one hundred dollars on a new phone then I would have to pick up the difference. I really wanted the best android phone that had just released so I decided I would pay for the other half. Regarding my other devices, I chose my desktop over a laptop the summer before going to college. I was going to major in architecture and thought a bigger screen and more power would be helpful with 3D modelling, and I bought this with the money I received from my high school graduation party. My parents picked up some of the cost but I paid the rest. The iPad mini was given to me through the Illinois Institute of Technology. All freshman receive the newest iPad model their first semester at the university. Because I know that these devices cost a hefty sum of money, I treat them like they need to last for a long time…and they do.

My family has raised me with the idea that computers do not need to be replaced very often. If you take care of them and make sure they stay updated with software and virus scan regularly then they should last at least five years in good condition. My dad is also a big believer in “you get what you paid for” so I tend to buy more expensive devices if I know it’s going to be used often. He also taught me that I need to take care of things that I pay for. This way I am not forced to change devices frequently due to them breaking. I update my phone every 22 months due to my contract with sprint. My family was grandfathered in with a very low rate plan with unlimited everything, and will not give that up to switch to a plan where I would get to upgrade every year, which I am content with. I’ve used the same iPod for workouts since middle school. I actually bought and tried out the newest version of the iPod Nano last spring and it just wasn’t the same as my old iPod with the click –wheel. Thus I returned the new one and will keep my 3rd generation until it no longer works, which I hope doesn’t happen anytime soon.

A few years ago every time I had extra money I would always try to sell my devices and buy the latest version. As I’ve grown older, saving money is more important to me than buying the latest and the greatest. I’ve tried to lock my shopaholic self away and be smart about what I purchase. Over the past couple years I think I’ve made tremendous progress.

My family and I usually get rid of our old devices in the garage sales we have twice a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Someone usually buys it off of us, and if not we just wait to sell it in the next garage sale. The other thing my family has done is leave an old computer at the street and someone would come and pick it up. Lastly, if the device is still in working condition, and I think I’ll be able to make some money then I will list it on eBay and someone will eventually purchase it.

I have three of my previous cellphones in a desk cabinet just in case my phone breaks and I need a replacement and my contract has not expired yet. This way I do not need to pay full price for a new cellphone. This applies to every member of my family. All of our old cellphones are stored in this cabinet just in case. It’s probably not necessary but it’s better than them sitting in some e-waste sight. As far as I can remember I don’t think myself or my family has thrown away an electronic device.

Previous to attending the communications class in which we talked about e-waste, I had absolutely no thoughts about where old technology is disposed of, why people buy technology so often, and the solutions to limit e-waste. Jonathan Sterne wrote a chapter called “Out with the Trash: On the Future of New Media” in the book Residual Media. Within this chapter he states

“I meet an American sailor and I ask him why his country’s vessels are built to last a short time, and he replies to me with-out hesitation that the art of navigation makes such rapid progress daily that the most beautiful ship would soon become almost useless if its existence were prolonged beyond a few years.” (Sterne 21)

Many products seem like they are designed to be thrown out. Besides a few companies that consider design a priority, devices are made of cheap plastic that screams to the user to throw them away after a short usage period. I think that if people feel like their device is cheap then they will not take care of it and replace it more frequently causing even more e-waste.

I have recently learned that there is a massive market for disassembling e-waste and selling the parts for money. I am not talking about taking something into an electronics store or selling a part on eBay. There is an afterlife of electronics that many Americans do not know of. In chapter five of Jennifer Garbys’ Digital Rubbish: A Natural History of Electronics she talks about the horrible conditions of e-waste sites and the people that work in them.

“When all working components are extracted, the machines are then stripped for scrap. Copper wires are stripped from their housing, where hours of work may yield mountains of material but only a few dollars in return. Chips are methodically removed from circuit boards and drenched in acid baths to remove specks of gold. Waste pickers strip away at these machines that are not designed for disassembly, uncovering their toxic insides through equally toxic means of removal. They receive for their labor often just enough money to maintain a subsistence-level existence.” (Gabrys 135)

Where electronics go after they are thrown out is not something that most people think of. Little do we know that when someone gets rid of an electronic device it has a major effect on someone else’s life. There is a worker in a different country who has to take that old device and disassemble it in order to make a living. There is major lack of electronic recycling and electronic recycling education in the United States. I think that in order to solve our e-waste issues it all needs to start with the companies that manufacture these devices. Habits will then trickle down to the consumer and toxic e-waste may be reduced.

– Cory Winiecki, October 20, 2014
Works Cited

Jennifer Gabrys (2011) “Media in the Dump: salvage stories and spaces of remainder.” Digital Rubbish: A Natural History of Electronics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Jonathan Sterne (2007) “Chapter 2: Out with Trash: On the Future of New Media.” Residual Media Acland, C. (ed) pp. 16-31.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COM-02/580-05 Environmental Media. IIT (2014)

My husband and kids are the techies in my family.  The good news is that I did not have to spend much to get the devices you see in the photo.  My husband has worked in the telecom industry for over 20 years. His job brings with it many fringe benefits.  The last time he attended a conference he came home with an iPad mini and an Xbox 360.  It is important to his company that he uses the most current devices so that he is able to promote the products to his clients and conduct his work more effectively.

In this photograph you will see all the cell phones I have owned and used in the past.  All but one is included here.  If it did not belong to the company it too would have shown up in this photos as well because I tend to keep all of my electronic devices.

Just last year I updated my iPhone 4 to the new iPhone 5c.  During our last family vacation I dropped my cell phone from a lawn chair and the screen shattered.  It seemed rather symbolic at the time.  With a full time job and a full time course load I am kept busy.  This vacation was an opportunity to take a break from the madness.  The one thing keeping me connected was my cell phone, which broke on the first day of our vacation.  I waited 4 months before getting a new phone because I did not feel that it was worth spending the money for a new device.  Four months later my telecom provider offered our family a credit that covered the cost of a new phone.

I tend to be a creature of habit.  I am not typically concerned with the version of phone.  As long as it is working it is good enough for me. The only reason I update or change my devices is because it breaks or my telephone carrier offers me a new one.  If my carrier did not offer this promotion on occasion I would still likely be using my blackberry because it was sturdy and offered all that I needed.  I typically use it to tell time, to make phone calls, send text messages, and recently I downloaded an app that would document all of my kids sporting events.

I have kept all electronic devices accumulated over the last 16 years.  When we moved into our new home we packed boxes of old VHS tapes and DVDs, which are still sitting in the boxes.  I no longer use the phones in the photograph yet these are sitting neatly in a drawer.  In fact, I have even put my Pentium 233, which I purchased in the late 90’s, to good use.  It currently serves as the monitor for my alarm system.

I am skeptical about getting rid of electronic devices because I am concerned that others will have access to my personal information.  I would not want a stranger to have access to my contact list or my financial statements from the last 15 years.  Until now, I was not aware of the best way to dispose of them.  While I had not considered the environmental impact at the time of purchase or when I stopped using them, I am pleased that I have not disposed of any because I feel that I am able to make a better decision about how to do it. In the past I probably would have just thrown them away with the weekly recycling.  Recently, I visited a Best Buy store and noticed that they have a drop box for old cell phones.  I had never noticed this service before but I would definitely consider using this service.

Prior to my “switch” to iPhone, in my days as a BlackBerry user, I would very frequently have to replace my phone. Consequently, this meant I had to dispose of the defective phones as well. I am embarrassed to admit that I did not dispose of my broken smartphones in an environmentally conscious fashion. More than often, they were simply thrown out in the garbage. The reason for this comes down to ignorance of environmental consequences of improper technological disposal.

In regard to other dimensions of environmental consciousness such as household waste disposal, I have been educated since childhood about the impacts of waste pollution, recycling and composting. This cannot be said about technological waste. Unfortunately, the formal educational system does not offer children, adolescents and young people the type of framework required to develop environmental awareness of technological waste. It appears there is a blind spot in both educational and pop cultural discourse with regard to techno trash.

The environmental consequences of our use of technology are largely concealed. Many are unaware of the harmful environmental effects of technological disposal and energy use. This form of secrecy protects businesses who would certainly be subject to a higher degree of media and social backlash if staggeringly high numbers were revealed. The techno-environmental blind spot is sustained because there is a lack of educational and governmental influence, which breeds a ignorance on the matter and ultimately inhibits awareness.

As a Communication major in the media stream, I have read and written tremendously about the social facet of technological use. I have developed a profound and theoretical understanding of the consequences of technological use in contemporary society. However, I am not fully aware of the environmental implications of technological use or disuse. As a matter of fact, this year I will be enrolled in COMM 4P18, a course offering on Media and The Natural Environment. This course explores the media constructions of environmental issues, but also the environmental impact of technological use. It is this kind of academic and theoretical knowledge that may be required (to a lesser degree) in classrooms and other learning establishments to shed light on the previously obscured techno-environmental blind spot.

The integration of a solid awareness program is what is needed at the university level especially if we compare my individual disposal practices to that of an entire establishment.

The computer and energy usage on campus increases as the school expands and as the reliance on computers becomes more prevalent. In this day and age, post-secondary education requires the use of computers for research purposes, course registration, university portal access (such as Sakai) – this makes the consumption of energy and technology inevitable for a large demographic. More importantly, there are hundreds of computers on campus: in the library, learning commons, computer labs and auditoriums. These computers are frequently replaced as result of technological obsolescence – when a computer or printer model is not the latest, it becomes less favourable to use and guarantees less compatibility with other recent software. The Apple computers in the computer labs have recently been replaced despite the fact that the previous set were 2011 models and only three years-old.

There should be a strategic plan in motion in schools, post-secondary establishments, healthcare centres and businesses to mitigate the consumption by computers and the disposal of obsolete or defective equipment. This would certainly require policy implementation at the provincial or federal level to develop strategies but also awareness-building initiatives for citizens like myself, who due to intentional obscurity, are unaware of the potentially permanent effects of technological consumption and disposal.

Now that I am better informed on the ramifications of my disuse of devices, I will be taking precautionary and proactive measures to assure that the lifecycle of my tech devices, from procurement to consumption and all the way to disposal, are environmentally and ecologically conscientious.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COMM2F00: New Media Literacy at Brock University.

I bought my desktop at the beginning of my 3rd year of University. I got my cell phone around the same time my mother got her own in May of 2012, and because of a deal at Rogers we also got a free XBOX 360. My iPod was a gift for my 20th birthday to replace a broken one.

I also have a laptop, which was a gift from my mother, partly as  a high school graduation gift and as a necessity to get me through my first year of university. I no longer use my laptop on a regular basis is because it recently broke. It still runs properly, but if it is moved in any way it will either restart or shut-off. I brought it in to get it repaired and they told me that the problem was with the motherboard and that it would be better for me to replace it altogether. I’ve had the laptop since May of 2010, so I’d say that’s a pretty good life span for a laptop – certainly longer than any other computer I’ve owned.

I wait until something is no longer working properly to update it, like with my laptop. Of course I don’t toss away technology at the first sign of a flaw; we live right down the street from an electronics store where they also do repairs at a very fair cost, so when something is wrong with one of our computers, we go there first.

I’ve had the same phone for 2 years but lately I have been considering an upgrade, even though it barely gives me any problems. My main motivation for wanting a change is that I’d like something that runs a bit faster and that has a better camera. The apps on my current phone are slow and even sometimes glitch. The operating system on the phone tends to lag as well, which can be bothersome, and I find I’m restarting my phone more often than I have in the past.

There are at least 3 broken desktop computers, 1 printer and 1-2 laptops sitting in our basement that are currently unused, along with a vast number of computer accessories. I know for a fact that my 3 previous cell phones are sitting somwhere in the house gathering dust.

I never realized how bad of a problem e-waste is until recently. I couldn’t imagine how devices that were sitting out of the way in our basement could actually be harming the environment. It’s likely that our technological devices – aside from broken appliances and larger dead batteries – haven’t  been disposed of properly.

I would like to think – now that I’m aware just how big of an issue e-waste is –  that when it comes time to clearing out the basement, we will dispose of these technological devices in the best way possible. I know of battery recycling program at my local mall, but I’ll have to do a bit of research to figure out where I should properly dispose of my old and broken technological devices.

Now that I am aware of the impact of e-waste on the environment, I will do my best to spread the word, not just with my immediate family but among my friends as well.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COMM2F00: New Media Literacy at Brock University.

When it comes to replacing these old gadgets I like to wait as long as possible for newer versions to come out so that I can get a newer version that will hopefully last me longer than if I were to buy the current version. I do not hold onto my devices if I am not using them. I tend to recycle my old devices through programs at my school and hope that others would seek out ways too dispose of their old technologies responsibly.

When it comes to recycling efforts I understand that hard plastics need special attention since these materials take so long to decompose. Batteries must also be looked at closely due to the acids contained within them. Other devices which I have owned in the past, such as portable game systems and toys, have been disposed of by my parents, and while I do not know exactly how my products were disposed of, I do know that a large number of them ended up at Value Village where they are sold for charity and can be enjoyed a second time.

As a kid my reasons for throwing out my toys were not sound or logic-based decisions; instead, if I got bored or if there was something better out there I would immediately want that one. My parents did their best to balance out the kids’ needs for new stuff with the need to replace stuff that didn’t work anymore.

My devices have largely been bought for me by my parents and have been disposed of by my parents. However they did their best to distil in me a sense of responsibility for the products that we as a family used and sometimes wasted. In my lifetime I have seen a lot of different products and the lifetime of these products is often very short. I am very aware of just how much waste I have produced.

As a kid I had no concept of pollution and its effects on the world, and despite my teachers attempts at explaining it, I continued to blissfully use and throw out whatever I pleased.

Consumerism is a powerful ideal and it’s something our society tries to force on us at a young age. The need to consume more and more and get the newest version isn’t human nature but instead a thought process which major companies thrive on. By teaching kids that they need new toys to be happy they are instilling all of us with the same ideal that new is better and that more is better. If there is no demand for new products in certain markets then the market may slowdown or even stop and this makes getting rid of consumerism all together a dangerous idea.

My parents worked to make sure that I respected what I was given and that I understood why I couldn’t get or didn’t need the latest thing. I too must work to instil responsible ideals in the the next generation so that major companies aren’t allowed to dictate the demand for there products. The factors that push us towards replacing old technologies too soon are very shallow and rely on us not thinking through the results of our actions as a whole and instead depend on us viewing the world in a selfish manner. By convincing us that newer is better, corporations continue to produce new products with very little regard for what will happen to an older product. There are many examples of products being replaced, but judging when it is a necessary replacement and when it is a superficial replacement can be very difficult at times. We must use caution when replacing old technology.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COMM2F00: New Media Literacy at Brock University.

On a daily basis, I make frequent use of my iPhone, iPod and laptop. These three devices, especially my iPhone and laptop, have affected my life significantly. It was Christmas 2008 that I received my first generation iPod touch as a gift. It wasn’t long after that I purchased my very first laptop (which has since been replaced) at Future Shop. After using various technological devices and brands, I finally acquired my iPhone through my service provider, Rogers. I acquired each of these devices at different times, from different locations, and yet all are of equal importance in my technological life.

When I was younger, I felt it was necessary to update my cell phone regardless of the condition. I was a victim of the marketing ploy; I constantly felt the need to update my phone to keep up with the changing conditions of the market. Nowadays, the excitement of updating my phone has faded. I have had my current, the iPhone 4s, for almost two years, and I don’t plan on updating it anytime soon. As I grew older, I feel as though I have become smarter in my decisions relating to technology. I no longer need what is new; I just need a working device. My mentality was different with my laptop. As laptops are usually more expensive, I definitely didn’t feel the need to replace my old laptop until it was completely broken down. Once it died, I replaced it with a newer, updated version. The real hero in my technology story features my first generation iPod that I received in 2008. After a few years, it still works perfectly fine. The need to constantly change and update my technological devices has evolved has I have become older.

My obsession with technology when I was younger has led to an overload of unused devices in my house. Most of my old cellphones have been turned off for years; however, I have yet to dispose of them. The very first desktop computer I ever owned (with the monitor) sits in my basement collecting dust. Unfortunately, it’s the same sad story for my first laptop. Quite recently, I was in my basement when I came across an old Walkman of mine. With the evolution of technology, it’s obvious that I no longer have any use for that device. I have never made an effort to dispose of my devices properly. Most of my devices find their way into empty drawers, and stay there for years until they’re thrown out with the regular garbage.

Though, not all of my technological devices have ended up this way. A few years ago, I was alerted of a program run by Rogers, Fido and various other telecommunication companies. The program is called Phones for Food and it consists of collecting money for food banks. In return, the companies collect unwanted e-waste, and recycle them to avoid an overload in landfills. The program sounded quite appealing, so I grabbed my first cellphone and unused mp3 player to donate to the cause. The devices were out of my hands but I didn’t realize that the real victory revolved around the devices being disposed of properly. Previously, I did not consider the social and environmental impacts of my devices. I held an out of sight, out of mind mentality.

Once the devices were out of my hands, I never considered where they might end up or how it would impact the environment and other people around the world.

Had I known about the detrimental effects of e-waste sooner, I would have been more conscious about where and how I disposed of my technological devices. After some research, I have discovered that it is easy to dispose of unwanted devices through various programs, including one here at Brock University. I realize now more than ever that it is important to dispose of devices properly, otherwise our e-waste problem will become worse.  Now that I am aware of the effects of e-waste, I plan on taking action to donate all the devices I found around my house for this assignment. My new awareness of the social and environmental impacts from technological devices has given me the drive to halt this e-waste overload.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COMM2F00: New Media Literacy at Brock University.

I use my laptop on a very consistent basis as well. During the school year I use my computer very consistently for research, assignments, taking notes, and keeping up with all the course material that is online. I purchased my computer online the summer before coming to university. After having good luck with Apple products, I knew a MacBook pro would be a good investment for the years ahead of me. I haven’t had to update my laptop as it still runs very smoothly and this is important because I am  depending on it to last me through university and beyond.

After having my phone stolen I went to Kijiji to find a replacement and I found an iPhone in great condition for a very fair price. At first, I was worried about acquiring my phone from someone I was unfamiliar with, but I haven’t had any issues with the product so far. My phone, however, has been updated every couple of years . Until I was forced to replace my missing phone, I normally replaced my phone when wanting something newer and more technologically advanced than what I previously owned. I moved from a standard phone, to a Blackberry and most recently updated to an iPhone 5c. I wanted to upgrade to an iPhone because of the apps that were available for social and practical use and the compatibility that went along with my computer and other apple products that I own. Now that I’m an experienced iPhone user, I do not see myself switching away from one anytime soon. I love what the iPhone has to offer and am constantly finding additional uses for it. I also find the staff and support of the company very helpful and reliable as they handle any issue with ease.

In the closet of my bedroom at home I have a box full of  cords, charging devices and electronics that I do not use anymore. These cords belong to camera’s, MP3 players, phones, and other devices that have been broken, replaced or I just no longer use. I also have MP3 players and my old blackberry smart phone.

I am not intentionally saving any of these devices for any particular reason, but rather I just never know what to do with them. I also find that I am convincing myself that I may need them one day, or if I get rid of them that it will come back to bite me.  I have hardly disposed of any devices throughout my life but when I do, even with things such as batteries, the garbage can is where I place them.

At Brock University there is a place to dispose of ink cartridges when they are empty. I believe there should also be similar places  that can readily accept electronics to appropriately dispose of them.

I rarely consider the social or environmental impacts when purchasing, using or disposing of my products, which I think is often the norm. Although we are  familiar with how to use these devices efficiently and effectively, we completely lack knowledge as to the impacts of our habits. We should be more informed as students as to the consequences our choices are making, and additionally, be given opportunities to correct our mistakes and effectively dispose or donate our electronics.

Seminars should become mandatory, or more information should be at our disposal as this would  increase our likelihood of being more careful about our choices. This could also be done through companies. Perhaps if someone is looking to upgrade and send back an old product to recycle properly,  a discount could be offered on the new one.

As a culture, we now rely on technology to get us through our everyday lives. Doing so safely and leaving behind as small a footprint as possible demands knowledge and awareness.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COMM2F00: New Media Literacy at Brock University.

On a daily basis I’ve come to rely on three basic electronic devices, all of which link me to the internet and serve as convenient communication devices.  The item I rely on most is my laptop computer which I purchased three years ago.  I use this item mainly for work and study purposes.  I purchased a Blackberry smartphone about five years ago and use it frequently to check my email, organize my calendar, communicate with others, and less frequently to access the web for smaller tasks I don’t want to turn my computer on for. Lastly, this Christmas I was fortunate enough to receive an I-pad as a gift from my wife; probably because the course registered for required me to use an e-book and I was monopolizing her tablet.

I’ve been replacing personal computers every five years.  I had to replace my first computer because it had become a dinosaur.  The memory and speed of this machine could no longer run even basic programs at respectable speeds and was not equipped with a DVD drive which virtually all other computers had as standard equipment.  It was definitely time to replace this computer, with a brand new modernly equipped laptop which I assumed would keep me happy for 10 years or so.  Well I was so sadly mistaken.  Five years later, I had been through two batteries, had virtually no memory left, and the machine was running frustrating slow compared to its younger years.  I’m now on my third computer, again purchased the best I can afford, but at the three years mark I predict it will realize the same fate as its predecessors two years from now.

A similar pattern exists with my smartphones.  Alarmingly, these so far have been replaced every three years.  A consistent issue with these items has been short battery life, coupled with three year contracts that encourage an upgrade to a new and much improved product for less than the price of maintaining the older product.  With such incentives, it’s difficult justifying holding on to an older product.  While my I-pad is less than one year old, based on other experiences I expect it will also wear out its welcome within four years.

Up until last year I had been saving my old electronic devices, with the exception of my old laptop (pictured in hibernation below) which I plan to refurbish for my children.  Last year I took all the techno-trash that had been accumulating in my basement to a municipal hazardous waste recycling centre.  However, should I have decided to dispose of these items any earlier, I likely would have dumped them in my garbage can out of ignorance.

The overconsumption of electronic devices has real environmental and social consequences that shouldn’t be ignored.  Considering the world population and the rate at which people replace these products, it’s easy to see how the staggering tonnage of techno-trash has come to exist, and without effective measures to curb its accumulation, will continue to gro.

Worse yet, I’ve learned that much of this toxic trash is shipped off to find a home in third world country landfills, under the guise of being re-used by the less fortunate.  It seems corporations have little problem convincing people their old devices are serving a noble purpose, when in-fact they are poisoning their new habitat.  I feel companies selling these products need to take more responsibility for educating customers about end of life disposal for their products they sell.  Socially, production of these products does little to improve life circumstances of labourers manufacturing them.  Rather than sharing profits by offering fair wages to desperate workers, low pay and poor working conditions are used to maximize profits.  This business practice prevents workers from improving an already poor lifestyle, reinforcing their sub-standard socioeconomic position in the global environment.  Reflecting on the social and environmental impacts of owning these products will certainly influence my future purchasing decisions.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COMM2F00: New Media Literacy at Brock University.

My video game consoles range from the very first Nintendo to the Playstation 4, and I have yet to dispose of any of these consoles except for my Xbox, which I sold. Every console has been a gift from my parents and all are still in working condition with games and controllers. Although, I only play my Playstation 4, 3, and Wii daily,  the rest of my consoles are in storage.

I received my first cell phone – a AudiVox phone –  when I was in grade eight.  From there I went on  to the iPhone 3G and then a BlackBerry Bold 9900.I would consider my phone to be a major part of my life becuase if I don’t have it on me  then I feel like there is something missing. The cellphone has been the main source of communication between and others since grade 8. I still have all of my phones – even the little silver Audiovox – all of which work. I  upgrad phones when my plans end. Currently, I am changing to an Android from BlackBerry because both my contract is up and I feel the need to upgrade to newer and better technology.

As a child I had a desktop PC and I acquired my own laptop when I started university. Since, then I have upgraded to a MacBook Pro and a Samsung Tablet due to the necessity of a laptop and other devices when attending university. I use my laptop and tablet every day, all day, for hours. Whether it be for school homework , lecture notes, communication, social media, news, research, or games, my computer is one of my most used technological devices and I would be lost without it.

Last but, certainly not least, i I have gone through just about every portable music device from Walkmen’s to iPods. These devices were used daily on my walks to school.

The only question left to ask is where did all these devices go?

 I currently have all of my phones, video game consoles, and musical devices back home in Toronto. The only device that I have disposed of is my first laptop, which I sold on Kijiji.  I would like to say that I’ve held on to these devices out of  concern for the environmental effects of e-waste, but this is not the case. My reasoning has more to do with my attachment to each device – as being a part of my child hood – and the fact that these devices still work.  I do believe that some day I will get rid of the technological devices of my past through a electronic recycling program or by selling them to others, but for now I enjoy the happy memories these devices bring to me.

* Submission is based on an assignment from COMM2F00: New Media Literacy at Brock University.