Sunday, September 19, 2010

Life without an Iphone


                Can anyone actually remember what life was like without a smart phone?  Every chance I get I am peeking at my iphone to fight off boredom or simply to continue to keep my mind busy.  The iphone isn’t just a single medium but rather an outlet that enables an endless variety of media to be viewed by the victim.  Between texts, e-mails, and the internet, I often have difficulties deciding which I would like to begin with.  The iphone plays such a key part in my life because of how it fills up any down time I have.  Why doodle cartoons in class when I can text a friend who lives in a different state?  Who needs a dictionary when you have Google in your pocket?  One of the greatest aspects of this media is that it can be used as a hot or cool media depending on how it is used.  The iphone can be used to interact with others or even read books alone, making it appealing to all ages.  The sheer customizability of the phone is just one of the ways that people become addicted to media.  Similar to the light bulb example McLuhan uses, the iphone allows the human element to decide what media should be used in its “light”.  Overall it can be determined that life without the iphone may be possible but would be filled with so much down time that many would not want to face this reality and feeling of isolation from society.
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2 comments:

  1. Cathy BaoSeptember 21, 2010 at 8:45 PM

    Troy,

    I completely agree with you that the iphone so much more than a phone- it definitely is an outlet to many other mediums. So many of us are attached to our phones not only because we need to keep in contact with other people, but also because phones (especially smartphones) offer resources that allow us to be content by ourselves.
    Great connection to McLuhan!

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  2. xli8September 30, 2010 at 6:33 PM

    Why call yourself a "victim"? Seems like you have some implicit argument that you want to clear up.

    Life w/out iphone is down, but is there any upside? I would like you to take on a dialectical perspective to look at how media are "extensions" and "amputations" at the same time.

    Also, the connection w/ McLuhan doesn't make much sense to me. Need to make yourself clearer.

    b.c.d.

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