Death by Design (2016) Film Review

Death by Design (2016) shows the effects of gadgets on human health and the environment. The creators of the film agree that smartphones and laptops do have some benefits such as easy communication, constant entertainment, and access to recent data. However, the negative effects of gadgets are more noticeable. The film includes comments of various experts, which explain these negative effects. Moreover, Death by Design includes information about the alternative ways of producing gadgets, which minimize their negative effects (Defore 2016). The creators of the movie encourage the audience to review their attitudes to gadgets.

The ideas about the impact of gadgets are similar to the ones discussed in the article “The Charge Against Electricity” by Mike Anusas and Tim Ingold. Anusas and Ingold describe the positive and negative effects of electricity. Thus, the experts claim that electricity leads to the development and marketing of a counterfeit reality (Anusas & Ingold 2015, p. 541). Gadgets also create a counterfeit reality. Humans spend more and more time in front of their laptops, smartphones and tablets. Consequently, virtual reality replaces their real lives. Anusas and Ingold (2015) say that the lives of people take place within a bubble, which protects them from interactions with a reality. Instead of interacting with other humans, users spend all their free time online. For example, they frequently prefer to purchase products online using credit cards and gadgets rather than visit department stores and supermarkets. The same thing occurs with many other aspects of life, including studying, health care, and banking. In this way, gadgets create another reality.

Users also should remember about security because ignoring it leads to security issues. In case of electricity, neglecting security risks causes electrocution (Anusas & Ingold 2015, p. 544). Ignoring security risks while using gadgets leads to health issues. For example, the film provides the examples when neglecting security risks may cause the development of cancer in future generations. For instance, the use of chemicals during the manufacture of gadgets leads to the pollution of ground waters, which is the cause of diseases. Ignoring labor norms results in the physical and psychological exhaustion of workers who have to manufacture gadgets long hours without any rest. Therefore, new technologies frequently lead to serious health issues if someone neglects safety rules.

Despite the negative health issues caused by gadgets, it is quite difficult to address the situation. Violating security rules is almost unavoidable. First, businesses use all possible ways to maximize their profits and minimize their spending on production. They use dangerous materials spoiling ground waters and set low prices for Asian manufacturers. As a result, factories force their employees to spend more time at work in order to produce more gadgets and receive more money from overseas IT companies, including Apple. Second, customers themselves demand moderate prices, and they are not ready to pay more for following proper labor rules and protecting the environment. Although there are some companies that use safe materials and remember about health and the environment, their gadgets do not gain much popularity. A low price is still an important factor for customers.

Another important aspect is that there are some relationships between gadgets, producers, and customers. These relationships are described in the article by Daniel Mains. Mains (2012, p. 16) states that the financial support of roads created a relationship between people, the state, and roads. Like people in Ethiopia are willing to pay for roads, customers all over the world are ready to pay Apple to have popular gadgets. These gadgets are important to them as roads are important to citizens in the African country. Moreover, they even agree to endure some inconveniences, such as the need to purchase another phone in case of problems with a battery or the unethical conduct of the manufacturer. The relationship also reduces people’s cynicism about the government (Mains 2012, p. 19). Similarly, gadget users become loyal to Apple. Apple becomes something like the state for them because it provides protection. People using laptops or smartphones live in the reality protected from numerous interactions with the environment, and this factor makes them loyal to gadget manufacturers.

Gadget users have a sense of belonging as they are often members of some community. It is the same as with road workers in Ethiopia. People working for the government there have a sense of membership (Mains 2012, p. 20). The customers of companies like Apple also enjoy being members of the community. Moreover, iPhone or MacBook is now more than just a simple gadget. Having it makes a person feel like a member of the privileged group. This fact explains why customers refuse to purchase eco-friendly brands of gadgets. In this way, gadgets help to become members of the specific community, and customers are willing to make some sacrifices for it.

However, the most striking fact about gadgets is the attitude of governments. It seems that they simply decided to ignore all the negative effects of gadgets. The states cannot absolutely forbid the production of gadgets but they can introduce stricter regulations for factories and IT companies. However, the states behave like the government in Ethiopia towards the problems with electricity and roads. They refuse to take responsibility. For example, the Ethiopian government allows private companies to address problems in the private sector themselves (Mains 2012). The American government seems not to notice the issues in Silicon Valley where ground waters have many chemicals. Moreover, it does not support less famous companies that strictly follow safety rules and produce eco-friendly gadgets (Defore 2016). Consequently, the government is also partially guilty for the current problems with gadgets.

All in all, Death by Design raises the problems associated with gadgets. The high demand for laptops, smartphones, and tablets makes businesses forget about the environment and people’s health. They manufacture their products using dangerous chemicals and forgetting about the rights of their workers and people living near factories. Consumers also provoke such unethical behavior. Their desire to have a gadget is so strong that they ignore the unethical conduct of producers. Consumers feel some sense of membership within the IT community, which reduces their cynicism about gadget producers.

Reference List

Anusas, M & Ingold, T 2015, ‘The charge against electricity’, Cultural Anthropology, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 540-554.

DeFore, J 2016, ‘‘Death by design’: SIFF review’, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 June, viewed 11 November 2018, < https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/death-by-design-siff-review-903682>.

Mains, D 2012, ‘Blackouts and progress: privatization, infrastructure, and a developmentalist state in Jimma, Ethiopia’, Cultural Anthropology, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 3-27.

Williams, S (dir.) 2016, Death by design, motion picture, Ambrica Productions & Impact Partners.