The high consumption of smartphones – a technical necessity or simply a shopping addiction?

What are the reasons behind our rapid smartphone consumption, and what impact does this behaviour have on us and our environment?

A post by Arihanta Jain, Maike Bongartz and Angelo Stockinger

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

There is nothing we use more or spend more time on than smartphones. Many people spend even more time on their smartphones than with their partners. But why have smartphones become such an integral part of our lives?

In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the special relationship between people and smartphones. We will discuss the reasons why it has become such an important part of our day-to-day lives. Furthermore, we will also explore the marketing psychology aspect and demonstrate the enormous influence smartphones have on our lives. In addition, we also want to draw attention to the effects of unsustainable mobile phone usage.

Sustainable thinking starts with small steps, and if each of us takes just one small step, it can have a big impact.

From a practical tool to a fashion accessory

To better understand the power of smartphones, it is worth taking a look back at the past – to a time when mobile phones were seen merely as technical devices. Yes, we are talking about the era of push-button phones. That is where it all began.

Back then, mobile phones were mainly used for making calls, and they served that purpose well. However, this changed rapidly with the introduction of smartphones. In August 1996, the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia launched the first smartphone, the ‘Nokia 9000 Communicator’. It was touted as a pocket-sized office. Just to give you an idea, at this stage the smartphone weighed almost half a kilo. From that point on, the smartphone continued to evolve. And with it, the significance of the smartphone also changed. Nokia recognised this shift and made the mobile phones available in different colours and designs. In this way, the smartphone evolved from a technical device into a fashion accessory and a cultural symbol. As its importance shifted and development progressed steadily, smartphone consumption also increased.

Negative impacts of unsustainable smartphone usage

Nowadays, smartphones in Germany are replaced by new devices every 2.5 years. As you might have imagined, this consumption has its consequences and is leading to a major problem with electronic waste worldwide. In 2020, 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste were generated worldwide. Germany is also one of the four countries worldwide with the highest per capita e-waste, as German people produce around 19.4 kg of waste per person.

Among other things, this trend is due to incorrect disposal and insufficient recycling. On the one hand, over 50 per cent of German citizens have more than three old smartphones at home, which they either do not dispose of at all or dispose of incorrectly. On the other hand, a large proportion of the e-waste produced is shipped to other countries, mostly to developing nations, which are then left to deal with the waste. This often ends up in the sea, causing long-term marine pollution due to its harmful chemicals.

Another impact is the high carbon emissions associated with smartphone use, which exacerbates the greenhouse effect. Over an average useful life of 2.5 years, a total of almost 210 kg of carbon emissions are generated, 85 per cent of which are produced during the manufacture of these devices. Furthermore, the mining of rare materials such as gold, silver, palladium, cobalt, etc., used in production also results in high energy consumption and the destruction of animal and human habitats.

Among these factors, there are also social impacts on human life, such as inhumane working conditions. Many mine workers often lack both adequate protective equipment and suitable tools for extracting materials. Consequently, they usually have to start work without helmets or protective gloves and sometimes even dig with their bare hands. Furthermore, the mining process often produces fine dust, which can trigger chronic diseases if inhaled in large quantities. We should not overlook other factors such as low wages and child labour in this regard. All in all, it can be said that nature pays a high price for our consumption of smartphones and technology. But why do we change our smartphones so often, especially after a relatively short period of use? Is this really due to rapid technological progress, with enormous improvements taking place within a few months or years?

Why do we change our phones so often?

To assess whether a smartphone improves significantly within a short period of time, from one generation to the next, and whether there is a genuine need to purchase a new device, it is worth comparing two successive models, such as the iPhone 11 Pro and the 12 Pro. Both devices were released about a year apart and share several similarities, apart from a few key changes. For example, their price, design, storage capacity, weight and battery life were almost identical. The only notable major fundamental change was the slightly better performance and the inclusion of 5G. In summary, this particular smartphone model has not changed so much that an upgrade would be necessary. Nevertheless, very high sales figures were once again recorded for the iPhone 12 Pro.

These figures are based to a small extent on certain technological improvements, but also, to a large extent, on advertising and psychological factors. Considering the psychological effect, it also depends on the characteristics of the people, which can be divided into four categories.

1. People who seek quality – Some people are curious about new things and have enough money to buy and swap phones as well. Usually, in this category, quality matters most to people, which could also be linked to work-related needs.
2. Tech enthusiasts – In many cases, people are obsessed with the latest technology. Tech enthusiasts enjoy collecting gadgets, tinkering with them, reassembling them, and sometimes upgrading their phones to create improved versions.
3. Novelty seekers – Some people are shopaholics. They satisfy their craving for novelty by buying new phones. Overall, they are aware of this shopping problem but are unwilling to change their behaviour.
4. Status seekers – Sometimes people buy phones to maintain a certain image in society. They view the use of high-end brands as a prestigious status symbol or fashion accessory. Generally speaking, these people buy phones to project a certain persona.

These are not the only reasons why people want to switch to new phones. Sometimes, companies’ clever marketing strategies also play a major role in influencing people’s decisions. Let’s see how:

Brands strive to embody certain characteristics that appeal to specific types of customers. Much like people, companies and brands also develop their own personalities over time. These personalities are shaped by factors both within and outside a company – from the CEO and the employees, to product promotion and advertising strategies. For companies such as Apple, innovation and brand personality were long driven by former CEO Steve Jobs, who embodied qualities such as perfectionism, creativity and ingenuity. The greater the similarity between the characteristics that describe an individual and those that describe a brand, the greater the likelihood that the individual will prefer that brand. For example, Apple iPhone adverts tend to emphasise sophistication, competence and sincerity. This explains why some customers develop such strong feelings towards a particular brand of mobile phone.

These adverts also spark curiosity amongst consumers to own the latest phone, which can sometimes make them feel embarrassed or inferior for not using the latest model. This social pressure to keep up with the latest trends could lead to social anxiety and depression amongst people.

As you can see, buying new phones is not only about technical improvements but also about several other factors, such as the psychological effects and the marketing strategies employed by companies. These factors also have a huge impact on our environment; therefore, we should pay more attention to sustainability and the conscious consumption of smartphones, and be made more aware of these issues.
For further details and sources, please take a look at our presentation.

Image source: ready made / pexels.com