“Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy”: The Risks of Overproduction and Overconsumption of Tech Products
Netflix’s latest documentary, Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy, pulls back the curtain on the unrelenting cycle of production, consumption, and disposal that defines our relationship with technology. In an age of constant upgrades and fleeting technological lifespans, this exposé challenges viewers to confront the systemic forces propelling excessive consumption of tech products — from smartphones to smartwatches. But beyond the ethical quandaries of marketing manipulation, the documentary underscores two critical issues: the environmental degradation and health and safety risks stemming from this overproduction and overconsumption.
Through the lens of Sheila Jasanoff’s co-production theory, we can better understand how societal values and technological practices are mutually shaped, creating a culture that normalises the disposability of tech while obscuring its true costs.
The Environmental Toll of Disposable Tech
The rapid obsolescence of devices, often spurred by deliberate design choices like planned obsolescence or annual product launches, fuels an insatiable demand for raw materials like cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements. Mining for these materials devastates ecosystems, contributes to deforestation, and displaces communities. Additionally, the production processes themselves emit significant greenhouse gases, exacerbating climate change.
Once discarded, these products don’t simply vanish. The global e-waste crisis — an estimated 62 million metric tons generated in 2022 alone — reveals a stark reality: much of this waste is improperly recycled or dumped in landfills, leaching toxic chemicals into soil and water. Countries in the Global South often bear the brunt of this waste, turning into dumping grounds for the affluent North. Examples include Ghana, where garment and e-waste accumulate along its coastlines, and Nigeria, which struggles with a growing influx of discarded electronics. Similarly, India faces immense challenges in managing imported e-waste, often processed under unsafe and polluting conditions.
Jasanoff’s co-production framework illuminates how this environmental degradation is not just a byproduct of technology but a reflection of societal priorities. The drive for efficiency, novelty, and convenience has reconfigured our collective sense of environmental responsibility, sidelining long-term sustainability in favour of short-term gains.
Health and Safety Risks in the Supply Chain
The human cost of tech production is equally alarming. Workers in mining operations and assembly lines often face hazardous conditions, including exposure to toxic substances and unsafe labour practices. For example, cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo frequently involves child labor and workers handling toxic materials without adequate protective gear. In electronics assembly factories in China, reports have highlighted exposure to dangerous chemicals like benzene, leading to severe health issues such as leukemia. Communities near production facilities endure polluted air and water, with direct impacts on public health — ranging from respiratory illnesses to chronic diseases.
Even consumers are not immune. The push for ever-sleeker, lighter, and more powerful devices can result in compromises in safety standards. For instance, incidents like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7’s overheating batteries, which led to explosions and fires, highlight the risks of prioritising innovation speed over rigorous safety testing. The normalisation of rapid consumption deflects attention from these risks, fostering a cultural complacency.
Co-Producing a Culture of Consumption
Jasanoff’s theory of co-production suggests that technological systems and societal norms evolve together, reinforcing one another. In the case of tech products, advertising campaigns and cultural narratives of innovation glorify consumption, embedding it deeply into our identities.For instance, Apple’s marketing campaigns often highlight the exclusivity and aspirational nature of their products, using slogans like “Think Different” to associate their devices with creativity, individuality, and success. Similarly, unboxing videos and social media influencers create cultural excitement around owning the latest gadgets, further reinforcing consumption as a marker of status, progress and even self-worth.
This co-production of technology and consumer culture creates a feedback loop. The perceived need for constant technological advancement justifies unsustainable production practices, while the societal embrace of disposability rationalises the environmental and human costs. The system appears inevitable, but Jasanoff’s framework reminds us that it is, in fact, contingent and constructed.
Signs of Resistance and Change
Despite the entrenched nature of this cycle, numerous individuals and organisations are actively working to disrupt it, proving that the system is neither inevitable nor immutable. For instance, repair advocates like iFixit provide resources and tools to help consumers fix their own devices, challenging the industry’s reliance on planned obsolescence. Their advocacy for right-to-repair legislation has gained momentum globally, with regions like the European Union implementing policies to ensure longer product lifespans.
Environmental organisations like the Basel Action Network combat the illegal dumping of e-waste in the Global South, promoting responsible recycling practices and holding corporations accountable. In Ghana, the Agbogbloshie Makerspace Platform transforms e-waste into functional products, showcasing the potential for local innovation to mitigate waste.
On the consumer front, movements like “buy less, choose well, make it last” emphasise sustainable consumption. Companies like Fairphone have entered the market with modular, repairable smartphones that prioritise ethical sourcing and environmental sustainability, offering a stark alternative to mainstream tech giants.
Rethinking Our Relationship with Technology
Breaking this cycle requires a fundamental shift in how we value technology and its lifecycle. Policies prioritising right-to-repair, longer product lifespans, and stricter environmental regulations could disrupt the current co-production dynamic. Simultaneously, cultural shifts towards valuing sustainability and ethical consumption can challenge the norms underpinning excessive tech consumption.
As Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy demonstrates, confronting these issues is not merely about individual choices but about reimagining the systems that produce and sustain technological culture. Jasanoff’s co-production theory offers a roadmap for this reimagining, encouraging us to see technology not as an autonomous force but as deeply entwined with our societal values and priorities.
The stakes are clear: if we fail to interrogate the social and environmental costs of our technological ambitions, the consequences will extend far beyond discarded gadgets. They will shape the future of our planet and the health of its inhabitants, reminding us that the co-production of technology and society is, ultimately, the co-production of our collective destiny.
