The Reality Behind Our Stuff.

When I first thought about a topic I wanted to focus on I immediately looked towards the connection between technology and globalization. Wanting to focus more on the effects of having our iPhone's, labtops, videogames, and other luxuries, I soon realized my true focus was on the real costs of our lifestyles.
This blog will critically look at the affects of our way of living on other peoples. What this means is that it will show how our disposable lifestyle greatly impacts those living in other countries.
(On a side note, I refrain from using the term "under/less developed country" because we call them that as a product of our lifestyle)

Another issue of focus for this blog will be on America's high-tech sweatshops, a growing problem as technology becomes a larger and more integral part of our lives.

The reason I have chosen this topic is because, like everyone else, I have grown dependent on technology (e.g.- smart phone, laptop, ipod, etc.), and I think it is important that we see what the real cost of having all our gadgets and luxuries is. This process will allow us to have a better understanding and perspective of how we fit into globalization as a process. As a society it is very easy to go about our lives without thinking about its impact because we are so far separated from the process and realities of life.

For example, in a recent article published by Businessweek.com, titled What your gadgets really cost, market research company iSuppli looks at the retail cost of our gadgets and compares that to the actual cost of the components. Now, the article does not go into the cost of labor for these gadgets, but looking at the difference from actual cost to retail price (iPad - Retail: $499, Actual: 219$) it is easy to see there is a huge markup. Comparing these costs to the extremely small amount of money laborers working in Apple factories make, Apple is pulling in a huge profit. To bring this back into focus, as consumers we are fueling this process of the race to the bottom, as manufacturers fight to offer the lowest production costs and gain our consumption for the lowest cost.

By being conscious and aware of our buying power we can have an affect on working conditions and wage for laborers suffering from globalization.