The news cycle around the sale of iPhone 16 across India is yet another reminder of how the industrially produced concoction of glamour, envy, and cultural imperialism continues to define most markets in the Global South. Owning an iPhone has been an envy-induced and inducing activity for many consumers ever since its launch in 2007. The sleek iPhone was the new Onida television, minus the devil hissing "neighbour's envy, owner's pride". Simulation Is SupremeThe iPhone is a curious gadget - it is both a product and a platform in the industrial production of glamour. iSlaveryThe cultural imperialism of the United States of America hinges on this digital ultimate slavery.

Source: The Nation October 06, 2024 12:31 UTC