Consumerism of Digital Devices and Impact on Society

The lifecycle of digital devices from manufacturing to disposal and its impact on the society

Introduction

In today’s technological world of devices, there is a rapid evolution for digital innovation that significantly impact the consumerism in digital devices. There is an increased use of smart phone, tablets, laptops and wearable devices. As a result, today, these devices have become an integral part of the life. The trend is particularly pronounced to influence work, communication and entertainment.

There are environmental, social and economic impacts of this consumerism, that is creating critical questions regarding the sustainability

Sustainability in the context of digital device consumption is based on the development and using the devices in a way that meet their needs without compromising on the ability of future generation so that it can meet their needs as well. It is based on the consideration of entire life cycle of digital devices starting from resources extraction and to manufacturing to usage and disposal and addressing the impacts of environment, social consequences and economic cost that are linked with them.

Context and Importance

Digital devices are indispensable in modern society, and they have revolutionised communication, work, and entertainment. They facilitate instant communication through various platforms, improve productivity while having advanced computing capability, and then give endless entertainment options.

The current trend of having the growing consumerism and digital devices is a grown while having the rapid technological advancement and constant release of new and improved models. Consumers are frequently encouraged to update the devices to have the access of latest features and innovation that lead to have the culture of perpetual consumption.

The phenomenon is particularly pronounced for the younger generation impacted and influenced by the digital marketing and social media trends.

The production and disposal of digital devices are based on extensive resource extraction, energy consumption, and the generation of electronic waste, or e-waste, that have different environmental challenges. For example, in social ways, the manufacturing process can involve labour practices that can raise ethical concerns. Economically, there is a relentless pursuit of the latest devices that can strain consumer finances and exacerbate economic inequalities.

Environmental Issues

In Silicon Valley, digital devices are based on substantial environmental impact, starting with the resource extraction and extended through the production and manufacturing process. Since the extraction of raw material, including rare earth elements, metals and minerals are based on the resource incentive and lead to have the important environmental degradation including the soil erosion, habitat destruction and water pollution as well.

Since manufacturing of the devices are exacerbated concerns for the environment through the consumption of large amounts of energy and water along with emission of pollutants particularly in Northern California. For example, the production process for smartphones and computers are known to be involved with the use of toxic chemicals and heavy metals that result to have the harmful waste products.

Electronic waste or e-waste and other critical environmental issue are based on consumerism of digital devices. As a result, e-waste based is on the discarded electronic devices and components that can lead to have the hazard substances like mercury, lead and cadmium. The Global E-waste Monitor reported to have the 21% of increase in global EW from the year 2014 to 2019 that reached 53.6 million metric tons.

This amount was approximately 7 kilogram per person on the annual basis, and the figure is projected to be doubled by the year 2050 if the current trends are continuous. There is an alarming situation where only 17% of the e-waste is properly recycled that lead to have the contamination of soil and water resources through improper disposal method.

The environmental footprint of digital devices are beyond the e-waste where data center and network power, online services and cloud computing that become the major energy consumers. They are in particular responsible to have estimation of 1% of global energy related greenhouse gas emission with digital devices, data center and ICT network that collectively have 6 to 12% of global energy use. Since the increasing demand for having the digital services including cloud, gaming, streaming and virtual reality is expected to go for the escalation of energy consumption and associated emission.

Social Issues

In Silicon Valley, consumerism of digital devices has significant social implications based on labour conditions, particularly for production and disposal. Many digital devices are produced, particularly in developing countries where labour regulations can be less stringent, but workers and factories often endure long hours, low wages, and poor working conditions.

For example, the reports have highlighted the harsh realities that have been faced by the workers in electronics manufacturing plants in countries like India and China, where labour rights are frequently violated to meet the high demands of the global market.

Health impacts are based on digital device consumerism, which is also a concerning issue. The excessive use of digital devices can lead to different health issues, including sleep disturbances, eye strain, and musculoskeletal problems. The phenomenon of “text neck” and other repetitive strain injuries is increasing commonly as people spend more time on their smart phones and computers.

Another important social issue is the digital divide and accessibility. On the other hand, digital device have become pervasive where significant disparities are there to these technologies. Individuals, particularly in low-income regions or communities, may do not have the access to digital device and Internet, limiting their opportunity for employment, education and social engagement. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were reliance on the digital platform because of the remote work and the learning highlighted, and it had the inequalities. It is due to the reason that it was leading many other people behind because of not having the necessary resources to participate in digital economy.

Economic Issues

The production and consumption of digital device has the major economic impact. Since the digital device industry is the major contributor for global economies, having the innovation and creating jobs and generating significant revenue.

The 2021 was the major year where the global consumer electronic markets were valued more than 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars that highlight substantial economic footprint.

For consumers, there has been the constant release of new and improved digital devices that have a financial burden as well. The marketing strategy and technological advancement that are based on the driving consumer demanded to have frequent purchases based on yearly or by yearly and it is most commonly in United States. As a result, continuation of the cycle of up gradation again has the major impact on personal finances, specifically given the high cost of premium devices.

Also, the phenomena of a planned obsolescence where products are designed to have the limited life spent to encourage repeat purchases can further give the bed impact to economic strain. Manufacturers can somewhere limit the longevity of devices while having the software updates and hardware incompatibility that lead to have the consumers so that they can buy the new products so frequently.

E-waste, or electronic waste management, has other economic burdens where the cost of properly collecting, recycling, and disposing of electronic waste is important. Since in many countries where much informal recycling is done, a lack of infrastructure for safe and effective electronic waste management leads to environmental and health hazards that have long term economic repercussions. The government and local communities can bear the cost of dealing with improperly managed electronic waste, which includes cleaning up contaminated sites and understanding the public health crises that are caused by the toxics exposures.

Planned obsolescence has an important role to play for consumerism and a sustained economic cycle in digital device production and consumption. For example, there is an intentional limitation on the life span of a product; the company can ensure that there is a steady demand for new devices. As a result, plan to not only increase sales but also support the broader economic ecosystem that leads to the marketing, production, and retail of digital devices. However, it can lead to an increase in waste and resource consumption that undermines efforts to achieve sustainability.

Proposed Solutions

• To reduce the environmental impact of digital device consumerism, there are different strategies that can be implemented, including recycling programmes and sustainable manufacturing practices. The establishment of a robust recycling programme can significantly reduce electronic waste.
• The government and companies can invest in infrastructure for efficient collection and recycling of electronic waste that can ensure that valuable materials are recovered and hazardous substances are safely managed. The promotion of sustainable manufacturing practises is important. It includes using eco-friendly materials that reduce energy consumption during production and redesigning products while having a longer time span to minimise the need for frequent replacements.
• Social improvements are important to understand the labour and health issues linked with digital device production and disposal. As a result, it is important for supply chain management that companies be linked to international labour standards, provide safe working conditions, and offer fair wages. Transparency in the supply chain can help consumers make informed choices while supporting the brand and prioritising ethical labour practices.
• Economic measures can further move towards sustainability in digital device consumption. As a result, the government can offer incentives for sustainable consumption, including “tax breaks” or subsidies to purchase eco-friendly devices or participate in recycling programmes. Policies have the objective of extending the life span of digital devices, including the right to air, so that they can empower their consumers to fix their devices instead of replacing them.

Conclusion

The essay is based on the exploration of environmental, social, and economic issues that are linked with the consumerism of digital device. It highlighted the environmental impact of resource extraction, manufacturing production, and electronic waste, along with the social implications for labour conditions and health risks. Also, it is based on the economic burden of frequent device upgrades and electronic waste management. To reduce the challenges that the essay proposed, solutions include improving recycling programmes, adopting sustainable manufacturing practices, ensuring fair labour conditions, and implementing economic incentives to encourage sustainable consumption.

As a result, addressing sustainability issues is important to reduce the negative effects of digital device consumerism and have a more equitable, environmentally responsible future for future generations. Since consumers, manufacturers, and policymakers should collectively go for sustainable practises so that technological advancement can benefit society without having to compromise on the planet.

#writer #content #blog #quality #digital #consumerism #impact #society #economy #social #environmental #labor #condition #future #generation #technology #advancement