Editorial: Technology addiction poisons planet

This week, Bloomberg News reports that analysts predict the iPhone 5 will be the best-selling smartphone. As pre-sales open Friday and the phone is released Sept. 21, this prediction reflects a major problem forming in oursociety: addiction.

The last iPhone came out less than a year ago, and the need to update technology in that short amount of time is worrying.

Consumerism in America has created an actual dependence on trending technology. It is an addiction to the newest toys, phones, tablets anythingon the cutting edge ofelectronics. When people line up to buy the new phone, despitehaving a working device in theirpockets, it marks a transition in ownership. We no longer own the technology it owns us.

That is the other part of the definition of addiction: not just dependence on a substance, but with the result of severe trauma. Besides this addiction being nonsensical andwasteful, it is also harmful to the planet.

The trauma being done by frequently changing phones is subtly hidden beneath the newest retina display. According to the Washington Post, electronic screens made of glass can contain up to 27 percent lead, and thecircuit board beneath that can
contain 30 times to 100 times the lead concentration deemedhazardous by the EPA.

This lead concentration,along with the otherharmful metals and chemicalscontained in any electronic device, is poisoning the planet we live on. The Washington Post also reported that in 2006, the United Nations estimated that the planet threw away 20 million to 50 million tons of this e-waste and in the last five years, that waste has more than tripled.

This poison so casuallythrown away seeps into the ground, leeching into both plant roots eaten byvarious animals and precious
groundwater that is vital to life. Often it ends up in developingcountries, where the devices are disassembled for parts.

Clearly, the addiction is a major problem. There is hope however, despite the forecast of the best-selling phones. In the past few months prior to the iPhone 5 release, stocks in smartphones have dropped, and consumers seem to be hesitant to buy the newest iPhone.

The delay in buying the phone is a potential light at the end of the tunnelof addiction. People mayfinally realize their addiction to
technology, and hopefully many will be hesitant to buy the next piece of e-waste that will eventually end up rotting away on our planet.