Elements of a Smartphone

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Sometime I stay up late contemplating the nature of technology. Smartphones connect us (sometimes a good thing, sometimes too much), they entertain us, and many of us are addicted to them. Tech companies have preyed upon our innate human need for connection and community to make this happen. The technology that exists in our phones could be harnessed toward solving many of the world’s problems, but the profit motive has warped them into tools of addiction whose primary purpose is to sell us ads on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, or Youtube.

When I started doing the research for this, I had a very strong emotional reaction to the stories of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and their connections to our devices. I hope you are able to have a connection to their story as well, and that this is able to shift your perspective – even a little – on how all objects we interact with are created. Appreciating the labor – and exploitation – that goes into not only our technology but all products we buy, can connect us and fight against the alienation we feel in the hyper-consumer system in which we live.

I want to stress that, while we may be complicit, we should not feel too much guilt. Forces well beyond our control have shaped this system and created a situation in which most of us are dependent on our phones and computers in our daily lives. While you or I will likely not be responsible for ending capitalism, the small actions we can take to resist the mundane violence of daily life is a powerful first step.

Please watch the documentary at the bottom of this story map. It is a beautiful, heartbreaking piece that is well worth your time.

This story was created for an assignment in Geography 572 - Graphic Design for Cartography - UW Madison.
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