I am sure you have heard by now about the two new iPhones Apple recently released. This means we can all throw our old phones out and go spend a couple hundred dollars on a new phone that will be outdated within a year. In other words capitalism and consumerism at it’s best. The cell phone business is just great at exploiting our need to consume. They are constantly updating phones so that we as consumers feel the need the get the newest and best model. I know some companies will take your older model and resell it ,so at least those phones are still being used. If your phone is not new enough for this option you can always recycle your phone. While recycling is beneficial, it still makes me question the e-waste that is produced.
I am not saying we shouldn’t own smartphones because I myself own an iPhone (a now twice outdated model), but I just don’t understand the need for the newest technology out there. I don’t understand why as soon as a new model comes out you have to get it. What is wrong with your older version if it is still working? I recently saw an ad for T mobile now allowing upgrades every 6 months, because why wait 2 years? I have talked about consumerism before and how it is a big challenge in becoming sustainable. The way we think about cell phones and other technology right now will make it very hard for us to ever be sustainable.
