The Focus Of This Week Has Been On The Connection Between Pe

The Focus Of This Week Has Been On the Connection Between People And T

The focus of this week has been on the connection between people and technology in the context of work. For good or for ill, technology, particularly information technologies, change the ways in which people work. But technology, even information technology, also takes work to build and maintain. Often, this work is invisible to the end users and involves traditionally low-tech jobs in warehouses, mines, factories, and farms. Our goal this week is to uncover and assess the many forms of work involved in making the digital economy possible and to think about the social, political, and moral implications of that work.

Paper For Above instruction

In examining the relationship between humans and digital technology, it is essential to understand the complex network of physical, labor, and infrastructural components that sustain our digital environment. To illustrate this, I have selected the smartphone as a representative digital technology—specifically, a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. This device exemplifies the intricate web of resources, manufacturing processes, and labor that underpin modern digital products. Conducting an environmental and labor audit of the Galaxy S7 Edge reveals the extensive work involved from resource extraction to end-user use, highlighting the socio-economic and environmental implications at each stage.

Resource Extraction

The initial stage involves the extraction of raw materials necessary for manufacturing the components of the Galaxy S7 Edge. Critical materials include rare earth elements, tungsten, cobalt, lithium, aluminum, and copper. These are sourced from mines located predominantly in regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (cobalt), China (rare earth elements), and Chile (lithium). Mining operations in these regions often involve hazardous working conditions, child labor, and environmental degradation. The extraction process requires manual labor, heavy machinery, and a significant energy input, often in countries with weak labor protections and lax environmental regulations (Amnesty International, 2016).

Material Processing and Manufacturing

Once extracted, raw materials are processed into usable components. This involves smelting, refinement, and chemical treatment, generally conducted in specialized facilities. The manufacturing of smartphones involves the assembly of chips, screen panels, batteries, and casing, which usually occurs in factories in East Asia—primarily China, Vietnam, and South Korea. Foxconn in Shenzhen, China, is among the most prominent manufacturers, employing hundreds of thousands of workers. Reports indicate long working hours, low wages, and labor rights violations within these factories (Levy, 2018). The production process also requires significant energy consumption and generates electronic waste and pollutants.

Component Assembly and Quality Control

This phase involves the precise assembly of different components into the final device. Factory workers, often in high-volume manufacturing plants, perform tasks that require repetitive hand movements under strict managerial oversight. In many cases, workers work overtime to meet production targets, and their labor conditions can be grueling. The assembly work is often done in countries with lower labor costs to maximize profit margins for corporations (Duhigg & Barboza, 2012). Quality control workers also inspect devices for defects, completing the final step before shipping.

Logistics and Distribution

After assembly, the smartphones are shipped globally via large-scale logistics networks involving cargo ships, airplanes, and trucks. Major distribution centers in Europe, North America, and Asia coordinate the transportation of millions of smartphones to retail outlets and consumers. This logistical framework depends on extensive infrastructure, including ports, roads, warehouses, and delivery services, which require substantial human work and machinery. Drivers, warehouse workers, and customs officials all contribute to this stage of the supply chain.

End-User Usage and Maintenance

Finally, consumers use the device, often unaware of the labor involved in its production. Maintenance, repairs, and recycling of smartphones involve additional low-tech work, often performed in specialized facilities or informal sectors. Repair technicians perform delicate work on intricate components, while recycling workers recover precious metals from e-waste, sometimes under hazardous conditions (Baldé et al., 2017). The entire lifecycle of the device highlights the social and environmental costs embedded within our digital technologies.

Labor and Infrastructure Analysis

Regarding who performs this work, it is a mixture of unskilled and skilled labor organized across global supply chains. Extraction and processing labor are often conducted by migrant or low-wage workers with limited labor protections. Assembly line work is predominantly done by factory workers in East Asia, with working conditions varying from tolerable to exploitative. Logistics and distribution rely on a workforce of truck drivers, warehouse employees, and port workers, often under tight schedules. On the other end, maintenance and recycling involve specialized technicians and informal sector workers.

The geographical spread of these activities underscores global economic disparities, where low-income countries bear much of the environmental burden and labor risks. Efforts to improve transparency and labor protections are ongoing, but the complex supply chains make accountability difficult. Recognizing this interconnectedness is vital for developing more ethical and sustainable approaches to technology production.

Conclusion

Analyzing the environmental and labor work involved in producing a smartphone like the Galaxy S7 Edge reveals the extensive human effort, resource consumption, and environmental impact concealed behind a consumer-friendly device. It calls for greater awareness, ethical scrutiny, and policy interventions aimed at ensuring fair labor practices and reducing environmental harm. As consumers and global citizens, understanding these hidden infrastructures emphasizes our responsibility to advocate for more sustainable and equitable technology development.

References

• Amnesty International. (2016). The Dirty Secrets of the Smartphone. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/07/the-dark-side-of-smartphones/
• Baldé, C. P., Wang, F., Kuehr, R., & Huisman, J. (2017). The global e-waste monitor—current and future perspectives. Science of the Total Environment, 575, 333-349.
• Duhigg, C., & Barboza, D. (2012). In China, human costs are built into an iPhone. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-iphone-value-chain.html
• Levy, S. (2018). Behind the iPhone’s glowing screen are the stories of workers and environmental impacts. Wired Magazine.
• Murphy, R., & Menger, S. (2019). Ethical issues in global supply chains. Journal of Business Ethics, 154(2), 271-283.
• Schmidt, C. (2020). Environmental impacts of electronics production: An overview. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(3), 1234-1242.
• Swanson, L., & Wyman, B. (2018). Labor conditions in electronics manufacturing: A report review. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(7), 1232-1246.
• Wilson, M., & Lee, K. (2021). Supply chain transparency and corporate responsibility in technology production. Business & Society, 60(4), 854-875.
• Zhou, H., & Chen, W. (2019). Environmental footprint and resource management of consumer electronics. Journal of Cleaner Production, 228, 1058-1067.
• Zhu, Q., & Geng, Y. (2013). Drivers and barriers of extended supply chain management for recycling electronic wastes: A China case analysis. International Journal of Production Economics, 140(1), 296-308.