Please consider the impact of your purchases

Consumer electronics don't grow on trees. The demand for these devices is tied directly into the exploitation of the people who mine the resources used to produce them. The cobalt in your device's battery was likely mined by modern-day slaves in Congo. Our devices are also likely assembled in factories where workers are cruelly exploited. Every day on this sub I see people claim that their collection is harmless, and the desire to have even more, justified by the alleged harmlessness of it. You wouldn't say a blood diamond is harmless just because you aren't punching someone in the face with a diamond ring. Obviously there is no way to completely avoid exploitation in consumption, but that also doesn't mean you need to collect a dozen different devices that will sit on your shelf except for when you want to take a picture of them. Please consider whether you really need another device, we are all connected in this world. The exploitation is made invisible to help the conscience of consumers in the global north, but that doesn't mean it's not really happening.

The devices are cool! Playing retro games and enjoying nostalgia is great! But let's please not ignore the real human cost when it comes to the production of these devices.

https://www.worldvision.com.au/docs/default-source/buy-ethical-fact-sheets/forced-and-child-labour-in-the-technology-industry-fact-sheet.pdf