This study examines the intricate relationship between smartphone usage among Italian university students and their understanding of the environmental consequences associated with smartphone production and consumption.
The research integrates quantitative data from a survey of 230 communication undergraduates from Macerata, Bologna and Florence with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews to explore patterns of usage, social meanings and levels of ecological awareness. The study reveals a pervasive dependence on smartphones coupled with a limited understanding of the extractive and energy-intensive processes behind their manufacture.
The pandemic intensified both usage and the associated psychological effects, revealing ambivalence towards digital technologies. Drawing on theories of digital degrowth and technological colonialism (Couldry & Mejias, 2019), the study highlights the urgent need to promote digital ecological education and encourage collective action in order to transition towards more sustainable and equitable models of technological consumption.
Only through combined efforts in raising awareness, providing education and implementing policies can consumers influence structural changes that would reduce the environmental footprint and address the global inequalities inherent in digital capitalism.The future of smartphone production and consumption is thus at a crucial crossroads.On the one hand, growing global demand and technological innovation are driving continued market expansion, with significant implications for resource extraction, energy production, and e-waste management. On the other, growing awareness of environmental and social impacts is driving an urgent need to rethink more sustainable and circular consumption models, encouraging repair, recycling, and extending the lifespan of devices. In this scenario, digital ecology education plays a strategic role, as it can foster greater individual and collective responsibility, promoting conscious practices of critical use and consumption.