Below is a the Problem Statement and Literature Review portion of the SAP Assignment for First Year Seminar: Digital Media and Social Justice.  This post contains the group portion of the assignment as well as the individual portion assigned to each group member.  The group contains Matt Thomas, Megan Fenner, William Good, and Joseph Mrowca.  

Group Problem Statement Part 1

The usage of personal electronics has grown at an incredibly rapid pace since its emergence in the early 1970s. We live in an era where our lives are centered personal desktop computers, laptops, cellular devices, televisions, and gaming devices. Educational institutions, workplaces, and health centers all rely on technology to accomplish simple tasks. While these developments are exciting, and for the most part, progressive, what happens when an individual cannot afford to own a cell phone let alone a computer? It is hard to imagine how school assignments would be completed without a computer. With the revolutionary development of the Internet, communication, business, and learning have been made easier and more accessible for those who can afford it. In 2003, Cleveland was named the poorest city in the country with an overall poverty rate and children’s poverty rate at 31.3% and 46.9%, respectively. In 2013, the overall poverty rate increased to 36.9% and the children’s poverty rate increased to 54.4%. With such a high percentage of people living below the line, how can society progress while leaving its children behind?

Electronic waste, a previously buried issue in society, is beginning to emerge to the surface as a significant 21^st century issue. As a culture of consumption, perhaps one of our biggest faults is chasing and nurturing the idea of “out with the old, in with the new.” Many of the electronics dumped in third-world countries have not yet reached the end of its true lifespan. If those who can afford to purchase a new computer or phone every two years simply donated or traded their device in responsibly, the progression of e-waste could be slowed while simultaneously providing impoverished citizens an opportunity to keep up with the rest of society.

Group Problem Statement Part 2

The goal for this social action project is not to simply reduce and impede the progression e-waste, but to improve the standard of living for underprivileged families in the United States. The Internet is a tool used on a daily basis by nearly 75% of North Americans. Free access is provided in numerous public locations, however not everyone has access to technology. Technology and the Internet are used for businesses, learning, and entertainment. Our social action project alone won’t be able to close the 25% gap of people unable to access the Internet. However, we feel that something is better than nothing. It is important to bring these issues to light. Simply because new, updated technology is released annually, does not justify the habit of discarding our “outdated” devices.

There are numerous organizations that are dedicated to collecting functional, unused, and unwanted electronics. It is our goal to partner with one of these organizations and begin to bring awareness to the gap technology access. In addition, we aim to raise awareness about e-waste and the importance of responsible donations. The idea is to provide an equal opportunity for those who cannot afford electronic devices and Internet access.

Group Problem Statement Part 3

As a class we would all participate in this proposed social action project.  Teams would be set up to accomplish specific goals.  One team would be in charge of creating a video to be streamed online to raise awareness and possibly funds.  Another would tackle raising awareness through other mediums like setting up posters, flyers, collection boxes, contacting JCU radio for an on-air mention, and contacting the JCU paper to possibly have an article put in the paper about the project.  The third group would be in charge of contacting local charities and outlining the project in an attempt to form a partnership.  Hopefully through this partnership we could easily ensure the electronics we collect are handled and distributed responsibly.  All of this, for the most part, would take place on campus, though we could easily decide as a group to expand the project to outside school boundaries. 

Matt's Literature Review Part A

Internet access is a vital and necessary tool in today’s society.  This is the Internet Age, where information is king and you can find anything online.  But many people are trapped by this wealth of information because they have no way to access it.  Internet access is taken for granted by many, but imagine how difficult simply going to high school is in this day and age without it, or starting and managing a small business, or taking a high level position anywhere without access to valuable online resources.  There is no historical precedent for this, however.  The easiest way to access the Internet currently seems to be through the mobile phone.  Even if we could provide more low-income families with a mobile phone and low cost data plans it would go a long way in evening the Internet access gap that divides middle and lower class families.

Group Literature Review Part B

We would like to start a campaign to have people donate their old cell phones so that they may be recycled: not for parts, but resold to people cheaply and effectively to low-income families.  That would go a long way to solving two problems: the Internet access gap that divides this country and the growing amount of e-waste that pollutes foreign countries as a result of the United States’ inability to reduce its carbon footprint.  The idea is simple, get the message out via posters and word of mouth that there are boxes set up around campus specifically for old cell phones to be recycled.  We then team up with a local charity to provide local underprivileged parents, young adults, and teenagers with access to the World Wide Web through their newly acquired smart phones.

Bibliography

"World Internet Users Statistics and 2014 World Population Stats." World Internet Users

            Statistics and 2014 World Population Stats. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.