The piece is based on a livestream from Apple featuring the newest iPhone 15. The company has a reputation for releasing almost annually and encouraging the purchase of new devices. Apple has a page dedicated to the benefits Lithium-Ion Batteries including: lightweight, longevity, efficient charge, and being recyclable. A main component of Lithium ion batteries is Cobalt. About 75% of Cobalt was produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kara, 2024). This means that the materials in our Electric Vehicles, Phones, Computers, and Tablets come from Congo. The practice of mining in Congo is not ethical since it exploits workers so severely resulting in: child labor, day long shifts, illness, paying under minimum wage, and many deaths. As demand increases, business owners further down the supply chain increase wealth while poverty and displacement continue to grow in Congo.

This Culture Jam is meant to capture this exploitative nature of the cobalt supply chain. The original Ad contains the word Titanium in the center of the image. Apple is marketing the iPhone 15 as more durable claiming the inclusion of the Titanium Ceramic Shield to be, “tougher than any smartphone glass”, yet it continues to push consumers to buy new phones annually. Replacing this word with ‘Cobalt’ informs the viewer what the topic is about. The images throughout the Culture Jam also forces the viewer to consider the impacts of mining expansion. These include images of children working as well as overcrowded mines. It has become necessary for children to help parents out in the mines to meet the cost of living. This is reinforced by text stating that approximately 40,000 children work in these mines as reported by UN agencies. Women are also given the lower paying jobs such as washing minerals. The images might evoke a feeling of despair and disbelief when understanding the inhumane conditions of the Cobalt supply chain and the unethical practices employed in these mining sites.