While media coverage of the Apple iPhone is plentiful and has grown over time, stories about what happens to the popular devices once they\u2019re thrown away are almost non-existent, Brock University research reveals.<\/p>\n
\u201cStories that make connections between iPhones and electronic wastes are annihilated,\u201d says Jennifer Good, associate professor in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut these stories need to be told, since every stage of electronics\u2019 life cycle takes a huge toll on humans and the environment,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
In her recently-published research, Good used a global industry database to search content from Canadian and international newspapers and broadcasters during two time periods: when the iPhone was launched in 2007; and July 2014 to July 2015.<\/p>\n
Good found in 2007, the term \u201ciPhone\u201d yielded 5,306 newspaper hits, while \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste\u201d yielded 513 hits worldwide. In Canada, \u201ciPhone\u201d yielded 1,257 hits, while \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste\u201d yielded 94 hits.<\/p>\n
But, there were only four stories in international newspaper articles containing \u201ciPhone\u201d and \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste\u201d in the same article. In Canada, there were two stories.<\/p>\n
In U.S. broadcast news, \u201ciPhone\u201d appeared 477 times and \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste\u201d appeared 18 times, but there were no stories combining \u201ciPhone\u201d and \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Canadian broadcast news, \u201ciPhone\u201d appeared 15 times and \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste\u201d appeared once. There was one Canadian broadcast story combining \u201ciPhone\u201d and \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste.\u201d<\/p>\n
This disparity grew dramatically in the 2014-2015 search results.<\/p>\n
Internationally, the number of iPhone newspaper stories went up 308 per cent from 2007, while the number of electronic waste stories fell 44 per cent from 2007. In Canada, iPhone stories increased 33 per cent, while electronic waste stories fell 69 per cent. There were only six stories in international newspaper articles containing \u201ciPhone\u201d and \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste\u201d in the same article; in Canada, there was only on story.<\/p>\n
In U.S. broadcast news, there was a 173 per cent increase in iPhone stories compared to 2007, and electronic waste stories decreased 83 per cent. In Canadian broadcast news, iPhone stories increased 80 per cent; there were two electronic waste stories compared to one in 2007.<\/p>\n
But, U.S. and Canadian broadcasters did not air a single story containing \u201ciPhone\u201d and \u201celectronic waste\u201d or \u201ce-waste\u201d in the same story, according to Good\u2019s research.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe iPhone clearly is news, but if the iPhone is going to be news, shouldn\u2019t some aspect of the implications be there?\u201d says Good.<\/p>\n
In her study, Good says that a concept called \u201csymbolic annihilation\u201d is what could account for the media blackout of coverage on iPhones and electronic waste.<\/p>\n
Underlying the concept is that, if something is not discussed in the media, then it is not important \u2014 it does not exist. Social scientists usually use the term to describe the absence of representation, or underrepresentation, of a group of people based on race, sex, age, or other variables.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we think about the role of news and what we should be informed about, e-waste should not be getting symbolically annihilated from discussions about iPhones,\u201d says Good.<\/p>\n
The sale of iPhones have been increasing. By 2011, Apple had sold more than 72 million of the devices. By early 2014, more than 500 million had been sold. In the first two quarters of 2016, more than 125 million iPhones were sold.<\/p>\n
As the shelf life of the iPhone becomes shorter and shorter, they are being thrown away at a faster rate. Combined with computers and other gadgets, electronic waste is the fastest-growing component of the municipal waste stream in both developed and some developing countries.<\/p>\n
For example, a 2012 report by the Electronics TakeBack Coalition found that more than 142,000 computers and 416,000 mobile devices are discarded every day in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Globally, an estimated 40 million tonnes of e-waste are generated each year, according to a 2009 study by the United Nations Environment Program.<\/p>\n