Portfolio #7

For Zane Griffin Talley Cooper’s lecture and the readings that went along with it, I learned about the labor conditions and environmental impacts behind the technologies that we use. The readings made me realize how much we actually do not know about how the devices that we use get to us or come to be. Even the companies that make these products may not know much about their suppliers, which is concerning because I feel like they should have the responsibility of making sure that they know what is going on in their production processes. Since the systems are so complex, the labor conditions are not monitored the way that they should be, which Miriam Posner talks about in ‘See No Evil,’ saying, “if a fire or a labor strike disables one node in a supply network, another outfit can just as easily slot in, without the company that commissioned the goods ever becoming aware of it” (Posner 220). The replaceability of workers and nodes suggest that the fair treatment and conditions of workers in supply chains may not be a priority, which is scary to think about. Additionally, the pictures of the lake in Tim Maughan’s ‘The dystopian lake filled by the world’s tech lust’ showed how costly these processes can be on the environment. I have always just accepted products such as my phone and my laptop as they are, without thinking much about where they came from. I had no idea that places like the lake in Baotou even existed, so the article showed me how the production of the devices that I use in my everyday life has a large environmental impact.

When reading the articles about how people have been using digital media for digital care, it made me realize how big of a role technology plays in our lives today and how it can be especially helpful in times like now. Not only can people stay connected by texting, calling or video chatting with their friends and family, but social media has allowed people to inspire each other and spread positivity. Different posts on social media platforms have shown people how to creatively adapt their lives to their new life in quarantine or share positive messages or videos that help people feel better. Seeing the different ways that people have used social media to try to bring people together and build support for the people who need it reminded me how much good can also come from social media. I often pay more attention to the negative aspects of social media and take the positive aspects for granted, but times like these show how even the little actions can make a difference for people and the power of sharing.