Secrets of Silicon Valley: Reflection Essay
Situated in California, Silicon Valley has been and remains a spot known as a destination for high-tech and electronic companies. In a sense, they have become a flagman of the new trends of the twenty-first century such as economic globalization and change and reorganization of labor markets, along with ever-present entrepreneurial spirit. Unfortunately, these processes have undersides, as unskilled workers, especially immigrants, become more exploited and endure worse conditions. The result resembles the historic colonialism repeated in the modern days. My project, an app the key function of which is communication and information exchange, can, in a sense, be a building block to a globalization trend, but at the same time it can help raise awareness about the negative issues workers and communities face.
As my app allows users to post and exchange pictures with one another, it is expected that people would first start using it to communicate with one another during leisure time. However, as it manages to attract more people, it has a potential to become a source of information and mutual engagement. Various events can be promoted on it the same way they as on other social media platforms. To give an example out of Silicon Valley, the annual Sandhill race has a potential to become much more popular. Such gatherings are not just for people to have fun; they serve as a point of meeting and making connections, which could be later used, as well as giving donations to non-profits like “Plugged In” (Kaufman & Snitow, 2001). Therefore, my project can encourage the social aspect for local communities worldwide.
Apart from that, it could serve as a perfect tool for the brand promotion, which could address entire world as an audience. Businesses which will use it have a chance to exponentially expand their markets and promote their product to a larger customer base at a reduced cost. New startups can use it as an opportunity to make their cause known to venture capitalists, which operate billions of dollars of investments (Kaufman & Snitow, 2001). The existing economic trends are likewise likely to be reinforced by using this app.
The last point might not sound so good, taking into account the problems we know high-tech economy of Silicon Valley has brought, such as toxic working environment, widening gender gap and exploitation of immigrants (Pellow & Park, 2002). However, my app could also serve to make their issues known to the public and attract supporters. As an example, environmental justice in Silicon Valley is represented by SCCOSH and SVTC (Pellow & Park, 2002, p. 92). Sharing pictures of working conditions, or immigrant families not having enough living space as a consequence of inadequate housing prices could gain a large audience. It can be used to exercise political pressure on responsible parties, for example the state representatives and congressmen.
Lastly, if the examples above are successful, the app can become a part of reversing the historical …
