Welcome to a brave new world of capitalism propelled by high tech, guarded by enterprising authority, and carried forward by millions of laborers. Gathered into mammoth factory complexes and terrified into obedience, these workers feed the world's addiction to iPhones and other commodities—a generation of iSlaves trapped in a global economic system that relies upon and studiously ignores their oppression. Focusing on the alliance between Apple and the notorious Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn, the book examines how corporations and governments everywhere collude to build systems of domination, ... More

Welcome to a brave new world of capitalism propelled by high tech, guarded by enterprising authority, and carried forward by millions of laborers. Gathered into mammoth factory complexes and terrified into obedience, these workers feed the world's addiction to iPhones and other commodities—a generation of iSlaves trapped in a global economic system that relies upon and studiously ignores their oppression. Focusing on the alliance between Apple and the notorious Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn, the book examines how corporations and governments everywhere collude to build systems of domination, exploitation, and alienation. The book's interviews, news analysis, and first-hand observation show the circumstances faced by Foxconn workers—circumstances with vivid parallels in the Atlantic slave trade. The book also shows how the fanatic consumption of digital media also creates compulsive free labor that constitutes a form of bondage for the user. The book draws inspiration from transborder activist groups and forms of grassroots resistance to make a passionate plea aimed at uniting—and liberating—the forgotten workers who make our twenty-first-century lives possible.