--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The weightless rhetoric of digital…" description: "\"“The weightless rhetoric of digital technology masks a refusal to acknowledge the people and resources on which these systems depend: lithium and colta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/astra-taylor-9450_cell-phone_the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-techn_2489336.jpg" --- # The weightless rhetoric of digital technology masks a… ![“The weightless rhetoric of digital technology masks a refusal to acknowledge the people and resources on which these systems depend: lithium and coltan mines, energy-guzzling data centers and server farms, suicidal workers at Apple’s Foxconn factories, and women and children in developing…” quote by Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/astra-taylor-9450_cell-phone_the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-techn_2489336.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/astra-taylor-9450_cell-phone_the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-techn_2489336.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/astra-taylor-9450_cell-phone_the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-techn_2489336.jpg) > ““The weightless rhetoric of digital technology masks a refusal to acknowledge the people and resources on which these systems depend: lithium and coltan mines, energy-guzzling data centers and server farms, suicidal workers at Apple’s Foxconn factories, and women and children in developing countries and incarcerated Americans up to their necks in toxic electronic waste.2 The swelling demand for precious metals, used in everything from video-game consoles to USB cables to batteries, has increased political instability in some regions, led to unsafe, unhealthy, and inhumane working conditions, opened up new markets for child and forced labor, and encouraged environmentally destructive extraction techniques.3 It is estimated that mining the gold necessary to produce a single cell phone—only one mineral of many required for the finished product—produces upward of 220 pounds of waste.4”” [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Digital devices hide the environmental and human toll of their production, from mining to waste, revealing hidden exploitation. **In simple terms:** Tech hides its environmental and human costs. Key Takeaway Consider the hidden impact of your gadgets. Themes environment ethics technology exploitation Mood concerned critical thoughtful Type analytical ethical When to use this quote - product design - consumer choices - policy advocacy - corporate responsibility Key Concepts supply chain transparency resource depletion labor rights environmental justice Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to reduce tech waste? - How can societies hold companies accountable? A Different Perspective Complex solutions are required to address systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cell phone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cell-phone/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Developing countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developing-countries/) [Digital technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital-technology/) [Electronic Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electronic-waste-220931/) [Finished product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-product/) [Gold Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-necessary-947684/) [Mines Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines-energy-947685/) [Mining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mining/) [Political instability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-instability/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Toxic Electronic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toxic-electronic-947686/) [Working conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-conditions/) ## Related quotes > [“We will need comprehensive policies and programs that make low-carbon choices easy and convenient for everyone. 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It's also true that those rivalries were exaggerated by colonialism. Colonialism essentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malidoma-patrice-some/it-s-true-that-tribal-rivalries-have-something-to-do-with-political/) [Malidoma Patrice Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malidoma-patrice-some/) ## More by Astra Taylor > [One connection I see between the work I did on philosophy and my work on technology is that both communities tend to mystify and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/one-connection-i-see-between-the-work-i-did-on-philosophy-and-my-work/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [“wealth and power are shifting to those who control the platforms on which all of us create, consume, and connect. The companies that provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/wealth-and-power-are-shifting-to-those-who-control-the-platforms-on/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [It's very complicated. 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In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/the-market-won-t-let-us-treat-all-data-equally-because-there-s-a/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [My point, though, is that if lines have indeed shifted, it's not so much that the younger generation just doesn't care, it's that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/my-point-though-is-that-if-lines-have-indeed-shifted-it-s-not-so-much/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) [Explore all 72 Astra Taylor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) ## More Cell phone quotes > [“What you’re holding in your hands is a BookShots Flames story. It’s part of a revolution in reading. 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I know I only use one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-kosar/i-remember-one-point-seeing-i-had-like-60-some-different-cell-phones/) [Bernie Kosar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-kosar/) > [Cell phones are so convenient that they're an inconvenience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/cell-phones-are-so-convenient-that-they-re-an-inconvenience/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The history of the sexual vanguard in America was a long list of people who had been ridiculed, imprisoned, or subjected to violence. 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Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) [Browse all 982 Cell phone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cell-phone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The weightless rhetoric of digital technology masks a refusal to acknowledge the people and resources on which these systems depend: lithium and coltan mines, energy-guzzling data centers and server farms, suicidal workers at Apple’s Foxconn factories, and women and children in developing countries and incarcerated Americans up to their necks in toxic electronic waste.2 The swelling demand for precious metals, used in everything from video-game consoles to USB cables to batteries, has increased political instability in some regions, led to unsafe, unhealthy, and inhumane working conditions, opened up new markets for child and forced labor, and encouraged environmentally destructive extraction techniques.3 It is estimated that mining the gold necessary to produce a single cell phone—only one mineral of many required for the finished product—produces upward of 220 pounds of waste.4”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Astra Taylor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-technology-masks-a-refusal-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cell phone" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-technology-masks-a-refusal-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/astra-taylor-9450_cell-phone_the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-techn_2489336.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/astra-taylor-9450_cell-phone_the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-techn_2489336.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/astra-taylor-9450_cell-phone_the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-techn_2489336.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The weightless rhetoric of digital technology masks a refusal to acknowledge the people and resources on…” — Astra Taylor", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Astra Taylor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The weightless rhetoric of digital technology...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-technology-masks-a-refusal-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/the-weightless-rhetoric-of-digital-technology-masks-a-refusal-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```